


Time Stops

by SquigglyAverageJoe



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords, The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Warriors, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Dreams and Nightmares, Multi, Plans For The Future, Recovered Memories, Rivalry, Scars, Slut Shaming, Swearing, Tattoos, Underage Prostitution
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-28
Updated: 2019-06-03
Packaged: 2020-01-23 01:15:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 22,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18539299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SquigglyAverageJoe/pseuds/SquigglyAverageJoe
Summary: It’s a modern day high school setting and Midna’s senior year has just started. She has to navigate the things you’d see in a high school drama—her relationship with the school heartthrob, her romantic feelings with her new best friend, her crumbling relationship with the rival she’s known for her entire life—but there’s several things that prevent her from having a normal high school experience, such as the tattoos beneath everyone’s eye, her frequent nightmares that seem to be much more, and the possibility of almost all the people Midna knows being in a cult.And it seems to her, there’s something much more sinister lurking nearby, something that involves her and everyone in her high school.





	1. Chapter 1

“This is stupid,” Midna said, moving her hair out of her face to look at her reflection. She noted she was talking to herself which was what was really stupid, but at this point, she was desperate—maybe what she needed was a pep talk from the least peppiest person she knew—herself. “We all know how stupid it is, it’s always been stupid, it always will be stupid, but we don’t have a choice so suck it up and get a move on.”

She didn’t get a move on. Her pep talk was not working. She tried again.

“Lana’s gonna be here any minute, you can not let her see you looking like a cat that was thrown in a dishwasher. Not to mention, Zant. You don’t want Zant to think you’re still pissed that he chose effin’ Cia, and...that one stupid guy I can’t be bothered to learn the name of, and his _girlfriend_ , you aren’t bothered by that, you hate them all, but you don’t care—you’re good. You’re a smooth talker, you’re a smoothie—you’re cool and...strawberry flavored? Um, strawberries are good.”

She took a deep breath and grabbed her hair brush, pulling it through her red hair until it looked a little less wild. She focused on her mascara and her teal lipstick before throwing on a black t-shirt and took a good look at her reflection again. _I look good,_ she decided. _And I look normal._ People would look at her and just think she looked the way she usually did. Except for the one thing that she always wore. It didn’t really make her look any different, but it made her feel different, and she’d just feel exposed for the entire day if she didn’t wear it.

She considered it—it was a small detail, no one would notice if she wore it unless they knew to look for it, but what if Zant saw her wearing it and thought she still cared at all about him? Or would not wearing it make him think that he bothered her? _Fuck, he just had to make things so much more complicated._

She frowned then combed her fingers through her hair and pulled it into a ponytail, securing it with the hair clip. She ran her fingers over it while it was still in her hair. It looked like some sort of shackle, a manacle, or some sort of chain. One question lingered in her mind—she was trying to prove Zant meant nothing to her, but to who? He probably wouldn’t notice her too much, maybe shoot her a glare, but nothing too much, too busy looking at his girlfriend with heart emojis in his stupid orange eyes.

She bit her lip before exiting the bathroom and grabbing her things for school.

Lana was outside, waiting in her car for Midna. Frankly, Midna wasn’t sure how her and Lana got along and how they became friends. She was pretty sure about ten weeks before the end of the school year before, she tried to beat up Lana because she was Cia’s sister and she loathed Cia, but somehow, Lana overpowered her, kicked her ass and they became friends? It probably helped that one of her few friends were giving her a cold shoulder and Lana pulling her to her feet after giving her a black eye was one of the kindest things someone had done for her for a while.

Lana was nice, at least. Much nicer than her sister. She had dyed blue hair and purple eyes Midna remember reading about online, she was pretty sure they were some sort of mutation and people with them didn’t grow hair anywhere except thier eyebrows, eyelashes and the hair on the top of their head—which was probably why her body was completely hairless. She looked like some sort of model, or maybe a character from an anime. She was thin and pale, almost as pale as Midna. She did look similar to her sister, but to Midna, they were two completely different people. She wore a dark blue crop top and a white skirt that stopped two inches above her knees, and over all that, a black hoodie Midna remembered giving her the day after Lana beat her up because a teacher was trying to get her in trouble for breaking the dress code. Honestly, Midna was unable to imagine a better friend than Lana—she was pretty and nice and smart and had yet to stop answering Midna’s texts and turn her back on her completely. So, that was good.

The windows were rolled down and she sat at the wheel all by herself. She heard Midna’s front door close though. “Hi, Midna!” She called.

”Hey, Lana.” She pulled the door open and climbed into the passenger seat, placing her backpack at her feet.

”You look great!” She flashed a charming smile at Midna that made her wonder why she never told her friend the same.

”Thanks, I actually thought the exact opposite.”

”No, you look great, really.” She pulled out of the driveway of Midna’s house and started down the street. “How is everything? I assume you’ve been cyberstalking Zant.”

”I actually got rid of all social media because I couldn’t stand all the photos of him and his girlfriend.”

”I haven’t seen any pictures of her, actually,” Lana admitted, turning right.

”Don’t worry, you aren’t missing out on much—she’s stupid and hideous.” Midna scowled.

”I don’t know,” Lana said. “I mean, didn’t you and him date for a while?”

”Yeah, once, for like a week! Mostly as a joke! A long time ago!” She made a face, just trying to think about her and Zant in an actual, serious relationship made her feel sick.

”Oh.”

”Yeah, ‘oh,’ no way in hell that’d ever happen, he was my best friend, not my boyfriend.” The idea literally horrified her. “Wait, do people think he’s my ex?”

”Well, yeah. No offense, Midna, it kind of seems like you’re just a really bitter ex-girlfriend.” Lana spared Midna a quick glance before turning her gaze back on the road. “I mean, you guys were close, you’re always talking about him, you’re around the same age and are of the opposite gender, people have a tendency to just assume that means you were an item.”

”Gross,” Midna said simply. “To me, that’s like, someone suggesting that you and Cia are dating.”

”Yeah, definitely not.” There was a pause. “Well, now I’m a little less disgusted by that one time he hit on me at a party and a little more flattered. I mean breaking up with and ignoring a girl is mean, but doing that and then flirting with her best friend is just cruel.”

”Wait, what?”

”Oh, yeah, I guess I never told you about that.”

”Wait, he _flirted_ with you?”

”Yeah, at a party Cia dragged me to.”

”Why?!”

”Well, he was slightly drunk, but he just said I was pretty and lovely—normal, flirty stuff. Asked if I was seeing anyone.”

”And?!”

”I said I wasn’t interested as politely as I could. I could never do that to you, Midna.”

”And then?” Midna’s voice had went from shocked to curious.

”He said I was probably into Link like almost every girl at school and even some of the guys, and I said ‘yes,’ and he shrugged and said, ‘that makes sense.’ We haven’t really held a conversation since, we barely held a conversation before then, I think it was some sort of dare.” Lana frowned. “I think he actually hooked up with a guy.”

”What?”

”I don’t know for sure,” Lana said. “But I think. He was pretty drunk. You know, before we were actually friends, I thought you were related.”

”We aren’t. Just because we’re both red heads doesn’t mean we’re related.” She felt herself smile. “You know how I call Link a green bean, I used to call Zant ‘Carrot,’ like, all the time.”

”Remember that one time when you forgot my name and called me ‘Blue Haired Chick.’”

”Hey, you thought my name was Mindi!”

Lana laughed and pulled into the school parking lot. It was a short drive from Midna’s house to the school, short enough that Midna could actually walk, but it was so warm, walking wouldn’t be enjoyable and she liked hanging out with Lana anyway, so when Lana offered to drive her, why would she ever say no?

She killed the engine and the car came to a stop. They continued to talk regardless, not in any rush to get out of the car.

”How’s Cia getting to school?” Midna asked. She didn’t like Cia in the least, but occasionally, she put in a bit of effort to at least pretend she tolerated her existence, since Lana cared about her so much. She knew she’d never really like Cia, but Lana had always loved her sister and probably always would, and if she cared about Lana, she could try to not cuss out Cia. Cia did the same with her around Lana, too.

But Midna immediately regretted her efforts as Lana’s smile vanished. “She got a ride from someone else.”

There was another part of Lana’s sentence she didn’t say, but one Midna heard either way. “Someone she slept with?” She remembered Cia’s habits from the year before. She was flirty, and pretty, a lot of the guys were tripping over themselves to sleep with her, and for some reason, Cia seemed to enjoy the attention, although she didn’t seem to like any of the people giving her the attention. Of all the things Midna could hate her for, she decided she didn’t want it to be because of her sex life, she wouldn’t have ever slut shamed her best friend’s sister, but what Cia was doing was simply stupid, and Midna knew what Cia was doing, because Lana told her frequently how much it pissed her off, though she didn’t use the word ‘pissed.’

”I don’t even know who,” Lana said, miserably. “I don’t think she even knows who. I mean, I’m alright with her doing...”

Midna decided to let Lana ramble for a while, she needed a chance to vent and she didn’t get much chances. “Everything with a heart beat?”

”This,” Lana said instead. “So long as she’s smart about it. But she isn’t on the pill, she isn’t even using protection, she doesn’t even seem to enjoy it. And it’s so often, it doesn’t seem healthy, and none of them even care about her in the slightest, and she seems to hate them.” Midna saw Lana swallow. “I’m worried. I don’t care about the clothes, or the guys—I care about her health. And everytime I try to talk to her, she leaves—and Midna, I don’t think she’s even eating. This entire summer, she was so thin, I never saw her eat anything, I think she might have some sort of eating disorder. And why won’t she talk to me? I’m her twin sister! I just want to help her, and I’m so scared for her, and...I-I...”

Midna found herself laying a hand on top of Lana’s. She took a deep, shuddering breath. “We actually got into a fight a couple weeks ago. I haven’t seen much of her since. I, I....Midna, I messed up, I don’t know what to do, I...”

”Lana, calm down.” She tried to make her voice sound soft and not angry. She was awful at consoling people when they were upset. Zant had found her awkwardness with other people expressing emotions funny and that cheered him up when he was sad, but Lana was another case. Midna always made her laugh, making her laugh didn’t exactly make her calm down, it just postponed her mental breakdown. “It’s okay—Cia...probably just needs time to think. Whatever she’s working through, she’s probably embarrassed, she’s probably scared to ask for help. She’ll come around—just give it time.”

Lana nodded. “You’re right. I’ve just been so stressed...sorry, I was ranting.”

”It’s fine,” Midna said. She wanted to say something else, but she didn’t know what to say. Something that’d comfort Lana, obviously, but what would comfort her. She was worried about her sister—the only one who would probably be able to console her was Cia—and most likely, Cia needed to be consoled too. How the hell did sisters work anyway?

”We should get out,” Lana said. “We can’t spend the entire morning in the car.”

”But your car’s air conditioned!”

She laughed as she stepped out, though Midna wasn’t sure why—Lana did worse in the heat than Midna did, summer was always rough for her, and just because school started, didn’t mean summer had quite ended.

 _I have a feeling today’s going to suck,_ Midna thought, getting out too.


	2. Chapter 2

The school campus was crawling with freshmen, and Midna realized why everyone hated freshmen so much once more, hell, when she herself was a freshman, she hated freshmen. They had no idea the hell that awaited them, and they thought they were so cool—and a lot of them were taller than her, what the hell?

But it wasn’t just freshmen, she noticed. There was tons of new students, and not all of them could be freshmen. She looked around, searching for any familiar faces. She took note of the unfamiliar ones—a girl with red eyes and white hair who looked more like a woman than a girl, a mark ( _tattoo_?) under one of her eyes. A girl with blue hair like Lana’s, but much more tan, as if she spent every day outside, her body toned, an athlete of some sort for sure. A large group of girls, hanging around in a circle like the most colorful gang, everything about them different, all wearing clothes that matched their individual hair color—yellow, blue, white, red, purple, green, as if a rainbow had been torn from the sky and split into six people. Midna locked eyes with a guy dressed in purple, with lavender hair, scarlet eyes and a scar beneath his right eye. For a moment, they both stared, then he smirked and walked away and Midna felt weird. She continued looking around. “Is that Link...?” She thought so, at first, but something about him was different, his chin too pointy, his entire look just a bit younger. And there was four others, surrounding him, all dressed in a different color.

”Wow,” Lana said. “Link cloned himself.”

”And one of his clones is goth,” Midna pointed out, looking at one in black with purple hair.

Lana gestured to another Link look alike, one in even more black with black hair and red eyes. “Is that one not goth?”

”He’s emo.”

If Midna found someone she did recognize among the sea of new people, they were people she didn’t want to talk to. That one guy that held an obsession for rings, a guy with red hair in a ponytail, and that was virtually it—where were all her friends?

As if on cue, Midna’s gaze fell on a very familiar face and she fought the urge to hide behind Lana, feeling suddenly out of place and exposed, as if she showed up to school in her ducky, footie pajamas. Lana seemed to notice her strange behavior immediately. “Midna...?”

”Oh, no...it’s Zant.”

But of course, it wasn’t just Zant, fate wasn’t that kind. Instead, it was Zant and his girlfriend.

Her and Zant had known each other forever, and after their four months of not talking to each other, it almost felt like Zant changed completely. To Midna, his hair didn’t look right, his eyes seemed the wrong shade, he seemed too tall, he seemed like someone she didn’t know, sitting on a bench next to his girlfriend, who didn’t seem to know what personal space was.

”His girlfriend has white hair,” Midna mused. “Is Cia dating him?”

”They hate each other, I don’t even know why they hang out. Also, Cia’s skin is a lot darker, and this girl’s hair is longer. This girl’s hair is perfect.”

”She’s pretty.”

”And...muscular?” Lana raised an eyebrow. “Midna, I don’t think that’s a girl.”

”She’s wearing an earring, and makeup, and _the hair_! How can she not be a girl?” She squinted, now doubting herself.

Lana gasped. “That’s the guy he hooked up with!”

He was so pale, his skin was near grey, like a dead body in the first stage of decomposition, but, she noticed, his complexion was flawless. And he was tall, with broad shoulders and some muscle, an athlete, probably. But he was thin too, Midna noticed. White chin length hair covered his eyes, perfect and sleek, straight and shiny, covering one of his eyes and going behind his left ear where a large diamond earring hung, blue in color. He had a white wife beater with a black diamond print all over, and donned leather pants, a red jacket pulled over his attire with sleeves that ended above his elbows, the rest of his arms clad in ivory color gloves. The more Midna looked, the more she realized that he was clearly male, albeit, a feminine looking male.

”Zant never told me he was gay,” Midna said, feeling actually kind of hurt. Maybe that played a role in their break up? Or did Zant date her because she looked like a guy? Did she look like a guy?

”I thought he was just drunk,” Lana said, kind of feeling stupid, staring at a gay couple she didn’t know.

Midna bit her lip and considered telling Lana the one thing Zant wanted so desperately to be kept between the two of them. She didn’t know why she considered saying it, or why she didn’t say it, because in reality, it didn’t really matter at all—it was a part of Zant’s past that intertwined with Midna’s, but they had both left their past behind, Midna in a totaled car and crammed inside a coffin with a loved one, and Zant thrown out of the window of a car on a long trip, the way someone’d throw their trash if they couldn’t be bothered to find a trash can.

Midna suddenly didn’t like her train of thought and looked around again until she caught a blur of purple and brown, and suddenly, relief washed over her. “There’s Zelda,” she said, pointing her out, sitting at another nearby bench, reading a book. She was starting to feel like she was at the wrong school and Lana didn’t help with the feeling somehow—with a familiar, friendly face she could see, the feeling of being in the wrong place evaporated like a small puddle in the middle of an Arizonan summer.

”One of them, at least.”

”I swear, they’re like, the Heathers.”

”What?”

”You know, the musical, Heathers.”

Lana blinked.

”I’ll have to get you to watch it. Think like, Mean Girls, as a musical, but...with murder...and suicide notes.”

”Okay?” Lana still didn’t understand, but she just made a mental note to do some googling later.

For whatever reason, there was three girls who all looked similar, the same age, with the same first name, all friends to each other, and they bore no relation. They were usually referred to as Zelda All, Zelda Emmeff, and Zelda High. Midna usually only talked to Emmeff, but they weren’t really close, no one seemed actually close to her, even the other Zeldas. She was pretty cold, but Midna kind of respected her.

She was sitting on a bench, her brown hair falling down to her chest. She wore a long sleeved purple dress with a skirt that extended past her knees, as if the heat didn’t effect her. She was pale, and like all the other Zeldas, had blue eyes. She looked like a basic, pouty-lipped teenager, but something made her stand out enough to be popular. Her wealthy family? The mystery that surrounded her? Who knew?

Most of what Midna knew about her was that Zant hated her, and she’d be a liar if she claimed that she didn’t feel joy bloom in her chest every time he frowned disapprovingly when he saw them together.

”Hello, Midna,” she greeted, softly. She didn’t seem to notice Lana, hot on Midna’s heels, like some sort of pale, blue haired shadow.

”Hey, Zelda.”

”How was your summer?”

”It ends with me coming back here, so awful.”

She smiled and gave a small chuckle. “It’s the law.”

”Can’t we drop out at sixteen?”

”Are you dropping out?”

”In this economy, you need a college education to survive, I’ll like, drop dead if I drop out, like the minute I drop out, I’ll just die because I won’t be able to get a decent income.”

”Always nice talking to you, Midna.”

”Well, that was fun,” Lana said as they walked away from her. “Let’s get to class.”

”Because that’s more fun than talking with Zelda?”

”Because I don’t want to be late.”

”Because you’re a goody two shoes?”

”If I say yes, can we get going?”

”Sure.”

”Then yes.”

”Yes, Lana, embrace the two-shoe-edness of your soul!”

She giggled and grabbed Midna’s hand, pulling her into the thankfully air conditioned school building. She was pretty sure she was seconds away from sweating through her shirt.

The halls were filled with people talking and laughing after their summers, occasionally hugging, possibly because they hadn’t seen them for three months. “Hey,” Lana said, nudging Midna in the ribs. “There’s Link, and not one of his look alikes.”

Link was the school’s main heartthrob, almost all the girls were into him, and many guys were. Midna remembered Zant saying once that he could get a gay girl or a straight guy to fall in love with him, which at the time, made Midna laugh and ask if Zant was into him. Well, now Zant was presumably gay—and he still seemed disgusted by him. Hatred was stronger than love, Midna guessed. Basically, though, everyone had a crush on him, and though Zant denied it, there was rumors he stared at him for a bit longer than average. However, Link was absolutely oblivious to it all, and never seemed to notice. He didn’t notice Midna blush when he reached over her to point to a sentence in a text book when she asked for help, or when Lana swooned everytime he gave her a small, innocent compliment, or when Zelda—any of the Zeldas—got all dreamy looking. But it was no mystery why people liked him so much. He was kind, and decently intelligent, if rather quiet, and he was hot as hell with tanned skin and hair the color of straw, and dreamy blue eyes that seemed to hold bits of the sky and the sea and sapphires and everything else blue. Midna and Lana were acquainted with him and Midna thought they were friends. They were friends at school, at least, but they never texted, they didn’t know each other’s secrets—it was just small talk and jokes. No flirting. Lana had it bad for him, Midna wasn’t sure if she could flirt with him with how horribly bad Lana had it for him.

He stood in the hall way, by a locker that wasn’t his with two backpacks, his hair neat, clad in a green t-shirt and jeans, talking to—

”Is that...Fi?”

”Let’s get closer...”

It was indeed Fi, looking the same she did the year before, three months before the summer, right before she disappeared. She was small, short and thin with blue hair like Lana’s, but much shorter and more messy. Her skin was a light brown, and each one of her eyes was two different shades of blue. She dressed modestly in violet heels, denim jeans and a long sleeved, indigo shirt, but the sleeves didn’t cover her arms, her hands weren’t there—she didn’t have arms, Midna realized. She was in a casual conversation with Link—the reason he had two backpacks, he was helping her—and when the two approached them, Fi was the one to notice their presence.

”Hello,” Fi said.

”You don’t have arms,” Midna said. She had had arms, last time Midna saw her, about seven months ago. She had been acquainted with Fi. They knew each other’s names, talked occasionally. Midna mostly knew her as the slightly weird, incredibly intelligent, monotone girl from her math class. She could see Fi, in her mind, and remember her, at her desk, writing an essay because she finished a test early and had homework.

Lana threw Midna a look.

”No, I don’t,” Fi said, her tone matter-of-fact.

”It’s just,” Lana said. “We didn’t expect to see you anytime soon.”

”There’s a rumor going around you were killed in a plane crash accident or something.”

” _Midna!_ ” Lana exclaimed, her tone scolding.

”The chances of me being dead is like, three percent.”

”Wow, that’s as low as my IQ!” Midna exclaimed, and Fi laughed.

”You remember that?” She asked.

”You mean the snarky things you’d mutter under your breath in the back of the class next to me, thinking no one could hear you but I always did? No, of course not.”

”The last thing I want to do is make you uncomfortable, Fi,” Lana said. “But, if you don’t mind my asking...what happened?”

”It was no accident,” Fi said. “No plane crash. I...I think I almost died. I’m seeing a therapist and I should be receiving prosthetics soon.”

”I’m sorry...I shouldn’t have asked, my curiosity got the better of me.”

”Oh, it’s fine, Lana.” She shook her head, trying to get her hair out of her face, revealing a mark under her right eye.

”I think it’d be in out best interest to get to class,” Fi said. “We have five minutes.”

Link—who hadn’t said a word during the conversation— nodded and waved, helping Fi with her backpack to get to class. Lana and Midna walked quickly to their own class, Lana glancing around, clearly looking for something, or someone. Midna knew who.

”Can’t you use twin telepathy or whatever to find Cia?” She asked.

”That’s not an actual thing.”

”Oh, is it only triplets?”

”No, Midna.”

Ten minutes after the bell rung, Lana squirmed in her chair, probably hoping for her twin telepathy to activate. Midna saw her gaze continue to go towards the door.

”Do you think she’s skipping?” Midna asked.

”It’s the first day of school,” Lana replied. “We aren’t going to do anything, why skip today?”

”Because we aren’t doing anything?”

Lana shook her head and opened her mouth to speak, but just then, the door to the classroom opened and everyone turned in their seat to look.

It was Cia, fashionably late to class, but the most surprising thing for Midna was how Cia didn’t get dress coded for her attire.

A lot of people said Cia was the prettier twin between Cia and Lana, but they were pretty in very different ways. Their eyes were the same, along with their face shape, and their noses, but Cia’s skin was a few shades darker, and her style was completely different. Today, she wore a skin tight, red top with off shoulder sleeves and a low neckline that showed the black lace of her bra. And she had a black miniskirt that left nothing up to the imagination, paired with thigh high boots that made her multiple inches taller. Despite her beauty, there was something weirdly...scary about her looks. Like she walked on sharpened knives, her silver, short hair was more spiky. Her lips painted a dark crimson that Midna wondered if maybe she _did_ walk on sharpened knives, and maybe she stabbed a guy with them and smeared the blood on her mouth. Her nails were filed into claws and painted a hue that matched her violet eyes that stared beneath her silver hair and—

Why was she staring at Midna so intently?

She flicked hair out of her eyes, revealing that she too, had some sort of mark beneath her right eye. On her left, Lana gasped. “She got a tattoo?!”

Her heels clicked on the floor as she took a seat. The teacher didn’t comment on her arrival or attire. Lana slumped in her seat as her twin sister walked by, not sparing a glance at her.

Something in the back of Midna’s mind nagged at her, but she coulnd’t identify what it was.

Lana wasn’t in her next class, so Midna said she’d see her later and they parted ways—no one was with her to witness what happened next.

She felt her shoulder collide hard with someone and she dropped her books. She glared at whoever it was, without knowing who it was, snapping, “watch where you’re going!”

”I was going to say the same.” It was a guy, but not just any guy. Midna saw his dark eyes narrow at her. “Aren’t you that little girl that’s been pestering Zant?”

”You look like a little girl,” Midna replied. It was barely an insult, and more of a fact. He may have looked like a girl, but that didn’t change how attractive he was.

He scoffed and flicked his hair out of his eyes. Midna froze at the diamond shaped mark beneath his right eye.

”You are not even worth my time.”

”Who are you, anyway?” Midna demanded, wanting to have some sort of name to put to a face, and wanting to not freeze up again. Something about him was off.

”Ghirahim,” he said, simply, but for a minute, his appearance flickered. For a minute, his hair didn’t quite seem like hair, it seemed to flawless and perfect and it held it’s shape too well, ( _More like, the hard plastic on a doll’s head meant to act as hair, but not plastic,_ Midna thought, trying to find a way to describe it.) and his skin didn’t look like skin—it was hairless and too pale, but there was no veins or anything to be seen. And very briefly—had his gloves been black? “And you must be foolish to stand in my path this long and not move out of my way.” Without another word, he shoved her and kept walking.

Midna cared more about the mark beneath his eye than anything he had said or done.

 

”I figured out who some of the new students are,” Lana said at lunch, sitting across from Midna at a table that was otherwise empty.

”It feels like they’re multiplying,” Midna replied, half-heartedly. She couldn’t take her eyes off of her lunch tray. The food didn’t seem good at all and she wasn’t going to eat any of it, usually, Lana and her went to the fast food place down the street for lunch, their school allowed people to leave the campus during lunch, they just had to be back before class started, but they decided not to today. Her head was pounding and she didn’t understand anything going on.

”Well...” Lana said. “There’s Vaati—I was told we should stay away from him, he seems like a bit of a creep, the guy with purple hair and red eyes. There’s Impa, who also had red eyes and white hair, the really tall one? And then there’s Ruto, she’s the really tan girl with blue hair. Apparently, she’s a swimmer.” Lana took a drink of her juice—she really liked juice boxes, like, way too much, she had an addiction. “And, Zant’s boyfriend? His name is—“

”Ghirahim,” Midna interrupted. “We...met in the hall.” She paused. “He wears white lipstick.”

”He’s also a fencer—like, doesn’t that sound cool?” Lana took another drink of juice. “Also, according to the person I got this from, he has a freakishly long tongue. I do not know what to do with this information.”

”He has a mark under his eye,” Midna thought aloud, biting her lip.

”Have you been seeing those too?” Lana asked. “It’s like everyone has one!”

”Fi had one, but it seemed more like a scar than anything. Ghirahim’s was just a tattoo.”

”Cia had one,” Lana sighed. “Also a tattoo.”

”It’s weird. Maybe they’re in a gang, or a cult?”

”Link slid into the empty seat next to Midna. “What about cults?”

”I think that’s the first thing I’ve heard you say all day,” Midna said.

”Hi, Link!” Lana greeted. He was totally oblivious to her blushing and swooning, apparently. “We’re talking about the marks beneath everyone’s eye.”

”Well, Fi’s is probably a scar—and probably Ghirahim’s too, he was in the same thing Fi was in that made her lose her arms.”

”He didn’t lose his arms.”

”No, he didn’t, but according to Fi, he almost didn’t make it. And he’s deaf in both ears—his right ear is completely mutilated, that’s why his hair’s covering it, and his earring is hiding his hearing aid. He might just have a scar.”

”But the mark’s in the shape of a diamond, it looks more like a tattoo. And Cia has a tattoo that looks like Fi’s scar.” Lana bit her lip.

”Impa, I think it was, she has a tattoo below her right eye.”

Midna gestured to a table where Ghirahim and Zant sat, along with Cia and a bunch of other people. “That one chick has one.” Zant sat on Ghirahim’s right, and a brunette girl sat on his left. But, Midna noticed. She slightly resembled him, her hair black but just as straight and sleek, cut in a shoulder length bob with side bangs that covered the left side of her face, but below one of her eyes was a scar, her eyes dark and her skin a dark olive tone. But, the same face shape, and the way they held themselves—it was too similar.

”I think that’s his cousin,” Link said, softly. Midna had no idea why he was suddenly talkative. “She was also in whatever Ghirahim and Fi got into.” Words like that made Midna think, _cult or accident?_

As if on cue, she pulled her hair into a side ponytail, showing the left of side of her face, covered in hideous scars—from burns, Midna thought at first, but some if them were so straight, so precise, as of someone took a scalpel to her forehead, and cheek, and the corners of her mouth. Instead of eating, she was stabbing at a salad with her fork, then she looked up and met Midna’s gaze.

She looked away quickly, hoping her face didn’t redden.

”I don’t know,” Link said. “Maybe it’s just a trend.”

”Like, the goldfish swallowing, and all those people who climbed flag poles, and the people who ate tide pods? I don’t think people have ever scarred their faces for a trend...tattoos I can get, but scars? This can’t be a trend.”

”I promised Zelda I’d go to the library with her,” Link said. “I have to go.”

”See you in science?” Lana asked, still swooning.

Link nodded, smiling. “See you guys.”

”You’re crushing so hard on him,” Midna said the moment he was out of earshot.

”You are too!” Lana replied, blushing.

”Everyone is—he’s hot.” They both went silent for a minute before Midna spoke up again. “You didn’t happen to—“

The familiar sound of high heels clicking on the floor interrupted Midna and Lana immediately straightened. “Cia?” Midna glanced over her shoulder and saw Cia standing behind her.

”Hey, Lana.” She narrowed her eyes, her gaze shifting. “Midna.”

”If you’re looking for Link, you just missed him,” Midna said, almost toneless. Cia was crushing on Link about as hard as Midna.

”I’m not,” Cia replied, surprising her. “Lana, I need to speak with you. Now.” She shot Midna another glare. “In private.”

”About what?”

”Let’s just go back to the table I was just at.”

”I thought you said in private,” Lana said with a frown.

”I just meant away from Midna.”

Lana turned towards her. “You don’t need my permission to ditch me,” Midna said. She leaned close and stage whispered. “You can take my water bottle and if anything happens, throw some water at her and she’ll melt.”

”I heard that.”

”Good.”

Lana smiled. “Okay—see you after school, right?”

Midna saw Cia frown. “Of course, Lana.”

 

Cia didn’t seem to mind the silence between them, but Lana did. She wasn’t sure why she was so nervous, but the silence made her painfully aware of her beating eart thudding against her breastbone. “What is it?” She asked but Cia still said nothing.

Someone at the table said something like, “I told you not to deepthroat that pocky stick, you idiot,” before everyone got quiet and made room for them.

”What is it?” Lana asked again when they were both sitting and Cia showed no sign of speaking. Her expression held no emotion. Lana hated it when Cia got like this—it was like she wore a mask, and momentarily, she didn’t see her sister, she didn’t see anything, she was looking into the depths of nothingness in her eyes, Cia became a stranger, but one with no face or personality.

Cia took a dep breath. “I’m concerned.”

Lana had to fight the urge to shout and storm off. _”You’re_ concerned?”

She rested a hand on top of her sister’s, her features suddenly flooding with emotions. “Oh, Lana...I found your note.”

”Oh...no. That...no.” Her face flushed and she looked at the table.

”I’m just...glad it’s half-finished, I can’t believe you’ve been feeling like that, and I didn’t know, I’m so sorry, Lana.”

 _Maybe,_ Lana thought, hopefully. _I’ll drop dead in the next five seconds and the conversation will end._

”Lana,” someone else said. “You aren’t _ill_.” She looked for whoever was speaking and her eyes found Ghirahim, next to Zant and the brunette. “Wel, you are, but not in the way you’re thinking.”

”I support you,” Cia said. “And I’m so proud of you. I just didn’t think you wanted Midna to know.”

”I didn’t want you to know.” She bit the inside of her cheek. “Or your friends.”

”They won’t say a word of this to anyone,” Cia said. “Right?” Everyone hasitly nodded. “It’s just...” She chewed on her lip.

”Just what?” Lana asked, and then she suddenly noticed that everyone at the table had a mark of some sort under their right eye—except her.


	3. Chapter 3

Leaned up against the car with it’s locked doors, Midna waited, her backpack at her feet. It took Lana a minute before she appeared, keys jingling in her hand. “Sorry, I was talking to Agitha.”

Midna smiled. “Right—Bug-Eyes,” she recalled the nickname she gave her. “How is she?”

“She’s got a mark under her eye too.”

“Oh.”

“Yep.” She opened the door on the driver’s side and unlocked Midna’s door.

Midna considered asking about her conversation with Cia, but that seemed personal and she didn’t want to pry. Well, she did want to pry, but she chose not to. While she climbed in the car, Lana inhaled deeply, like what Midna did when her favorite shirt came out of the dryer, smelling like a lavender and all warm, but Lana’s eyes were closed, and she was frowning. “Are you alright?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted, and Midna knew it was because of her conversation with her twin sister. She started the car and turned on the A/C. “Everyone at that table has a mark under their eye—its like everyone with a mark under their eye crams into that table. It might actually be a cult.”

“Cults are never good,” Midna agreed. “Did they admit it was a cult?”

“No, but...it was weird. Um...Cia...”She hesitated. “She wants me to get out more—she told me there’s going to be a house party later in the week at Ghiriham’s house and they want me to go.”

“They?”

Lana looked at Midna very briefly. “All of them, like the people at the table. It was very weird.”

“Are you going?”

“I don’t know, they said I could bring a friend or a date. They made it very clear I could bring a plus one of my choosing, and Cia muttered something about already knowing who my plus one was.”

“Wait...”

“You don’t have to go,” Lana said. “But I really don’t want to go alone. There’s...someone they want me to meet and I don’t know who that is, and Cia will be there, but she’ll ditch me and...Zant will be there. So, I understand if you don’t want to go, but I’d appreciate it.”

“Lana,” she sighed. “I’ll totally save your ass by going to this party with you.

She let go of a breath she had been holding. “Thank you.”

“Your welcome.” There was a couple moments of silence. “This isn’t just a party, is it? What’s the catch?”

“It’s in two days. And Cia wants me to go shopping with her tomorrow.”

“And you want me to go then, too?”

“Would you?”

“Yes.”

“I owe you one, Midna.”

“You owe me two.”

 

“You know, when you told me we’d go shopping today after school, I didn’t think it’d be directly after school and we’d wait a half-hour for Cia.” She was beginning to sweat in her black t-shirt.

“I’m sorry,” Lana apologized, tucking a strand of hair that had fallen out of her ponytail behind her ear. “I don’t know what’s taking her so long.”

Midna frowned and idly twirled a strand of hair around her finger, thinking. “Why’ve you been acting so weird?”

“What?”

“You keep insisting nothing’s wrong, but then you get all quiet and depressed looking, what’s really wrong, Lana?”

“I’m not the one who’s been acting weird. Acting weird would be obsessing over a guy I claim I’m not into for no particular reason and saying he means nothing to me when I throw weird looks at him in the hallway and constantly rant about how betrayed I feel over it.” Lana huffed. “You say he means nothing, why are you obsessing over nothing?”

“That’s different! That’s not weird!”

“Yes, it is.”

“It’s not the weird I’m talking about, I’m just concerned.”

“Well, don’t be.”

“What—“

“Thanks for waiting for me,” Cia said, appearing out of thin air. She was dressed more casually in tennis shoes, extremely short denim shorts and a v-neck red t-shirt that showed a lot of cleavage. She once again had not been dress coded, meanwhile, a teacher had took Midna aside, saying her bra strap was exposed and she had been distracting the guys. She just wanted to know Cia’s secret.

“You took my keys, we didn’t have a choice but to wait,” Lana said.

Cia tossed said keys to her and climbed in the passenger seat. Midna got into the back, sitting behind a grumbling Lana. “Where am I supposed to drive to?” She asked.

“The mall,” Cia answered. She took a piece of gum out of a red purse Midna hadn’t seen her carrying. “You’re bringing Midna tomorrow?”

“Is that a problem?”

“Oh, no, I’m just surprised about my total lack of surprise.”

“What does that even mean?”

Midna glanced at Cia and wondered just what her and Lana had talked about before her thoughts slowly drifted to the argument Cia had just walked in on. _I’m not obsessed,_ she tried to tell herself. She struggled to put into words, but there was a reason her and Zant had been drawn to each other. They were rivals—Midna didn’t think of herself as a competitive person, but when it came to Zant, she had been extremely competitive, both of them needing to beat each other at things. And then there was their nightmares. Midna had always had frequent nightmares that she never understood and Zant had the same ones—when they actually became friends, their nightmares became less frequent. They shared in the confusion together. The nightmares returned when he left, and now, they seemed twelve times worse than before after all the time Midna had had with so little nightmares. The idea of their friendship coming to an end actually scared Midna just as much as the dreams. Did Zant feel the same? Was Midna being weird about it? In truth, their friendship probably wasn’t the most healthy at times, but with how long they had had it, didn’t it mean something? Had they just grown apart and Midna didn’t notice? Why did it bug her so much?

Suddenly, Midna stiffened, feeling a pair of eyes on her. Except Lana was driving, Cia was on her phone, and there was no one else in the car.

 _What?_ She felt the car come to a stop, but barely noticed. It felt like ice cold fingers were running down her spine; she shivered. The temperature dropped ten degrees and Midna felt weird. Since when did she become paranoid?

“You stupid cat!” A voice brought her back to the present. “Are you dead?”

“Cia!”

Midna blinked. “Wha...?”

“We’re here,” Cia said, bluntly.

“Did...you just call me a stupid cat?”

“Well, you were acting like one—ignoring Lana...I can’t think of anything else cats do besides ignore people.”

“Y—“

“Knock it off!” Lana snapped, looking at frustrated as a mother with two, young bickering children. “We have to go shopping, remember?”

Midna got out of the car slowly, trailing behind the pair of twins. She was still cold.

“What even are we supposed to wear?” Lana asked Cia.

“Clothes, preferably,” Cia said.

The moment they walked into a store, Lana made a beeline for the shoes and Midna just followed, and Midna didn’t know why, but her and Cia got in an argument somehow.

“Please, darling—at least my head isn’t as big as yours.”

“At least my breasts aren’t larger than my brain.”

“Knock it off, you two!” Cia opened her mouth to say something in response but her phone started ringing. She shot Midna a glare, as if promising that in their next argument, she’d be victorious, and then answered her phone.

“Cia...?”

She didn’t respond. Midna watched Lana just stare at her sister. When she put her phone down, she was wearing a grimace.

“You’re leaving, aren’t you?” Lana asked.

“I...need to go help a friend,” she lied, it was too obvious. “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

“Tomorrow? Cia, what’s going on?”

“I really have to go, Lana.”

There was a moment of silence before Lana just sighed. “Whatever.”

“I’ll make it up to you,” Cia promised before leaving.

Midna looked over at Lana who had her eyes closed and was rubbing at her temples. “What was that?” Midna asked.

”Cia ditching us to go hookup with someone,” Lana said, glumly. She clenched her hands onto fists and took some deep breaths, staring at the floor. Her ponytail was coming undone and bright blue strands fell in front of her eyes. It must have been annoying her, because she took the hairtie out and put it on her wrist, combing her fingers through her scalp. “She did this last night when we were making dinner. And three days ago when we were playing video games.”

”Jeez...”

“She doesn’t have time for me anymore, I guess—I mean, it was bound to happen at some point. Eventually, we’re both going to move out and go our seperate ways, but...” She pulled her hands away from her hair.

”There’s something else, isn’t there?” Midna asked.

Lana sighed. “Our mother’s been spending more and more time at the bar—I’ve’nt seen her in weeks. But it’s always been like this! But I’ve always had Cia! Things are rough at home, and college is just what? A year away? How am I going to afford college when there’s no possible way I’ll be able to get a livable wage at any job that doesn’t require a college education?”

”You’re smart,” Midna said. “And you’re athletic, right? Gymnastics and cheer and dance and stuff, right?”

”All the colleges in the area don’t look for that—they want football and basketball and baseball and stuff. Not gymnastics and cheer and dance and stuff. Parkour isn’t gonna get me a scholarship.”

”Can’t you apply to a college that isn’t in the area?”

”I won’t be able to get there,” Lana sighed. “And all I think I’ll be able to get is a partial scholarship. So I’ll be spending money on travel on top of tuition and...it’s just all so stressful. I buried myself in math over the summer and that’s just what I’m going to do this year, and I’m breathing numbers, I don’t want to breathe oxygen anymore.” Midna felt horrified at the sadness in Lana’s eyes—she looked different. What happened to the adorable, gleeful goody two shoes Midna knew? Had she _suffocated_  in those numbers?

It was quite possible, and Midna didn’t like that. “Lana, why did you never tell me this?”

”You weren’t numbers, so I guess I forgot about you most of the time.”

There was a brief moment of silence. Lana exhaled slowly, relaxing.

”You look pretty with your hair down,” Midna said, though it came out in a tone that made it sound more like a joke than a compliment. She really had to do some research on how to comfort people, maybe pick up a book or something. “You could be a model.”

Lana laughed. “Thanks, but I think that’s in more of Cia’s realm—she’s the pretty one.” It occurred to Midna that it wasn’t just other people thinking Cia was the pretty one of the two—it was Lana too.

”You’re pretty too,” Midna said.

”And she’s gorgeous,” Lana replied. She pulled her into a ponytail again and tugged on it. “It’s fine—I don’t need to be pretty, Midna, but I appreciate the compliment.”

”We haven’t bought anything,” Midna said.

”I can probably find something I already own,” Lana said. “I just wanted to hang with Cia.”

”You can hang with me?” Midna offered. “I know that’s not what you wanted, but I didn’t plan on going home for a while.”

”That’d be great,” Lana said. “All I have at home right now is laundry.”

It was probably about eleven when Midna finally got home, a shopping bag in hand which she threw on her dresser. She had a growing migraine and she felt absolutely exhausted but Lana had been laughing when she dropped her off, so she decided that it was kind of worth it. She kicked off her shoes and fell into bed fully clothed. _I wonder if Lana’s actually okay,_ she thought as she drifted off. _Maybe I should start checking in with her, she seems stressed._ In the back of her mind, she knew that she needed to wash off her makeup, and brush her teeth, and undress and set her alarm, but she was too tired.

_She was weak and everything hurt, her vision blurry. She felt something beneath her while cold rain fell from above and it almost felt good with how warm her skin was, but the cold seeped into her bones and she couldn’t move. She moaned and wanted to rub at her eyes, she wanted to see what was happening, but she just didn’t have the strength. She wondered if she was going to die and she almost laughed. She was going to die, on the back of a wolf, cursed into a hideous form, stripped of her status and power, weak and barely conscious, because some douchewad thought he deserved the throne. That sucked, she realized. Maybe it was karma, though. She wasn’t exactly nice, and now she was gonna die, and that sucked and she was so cold._

_She started slipping, and she was suddenly on the ground and the cold, dirty water of the ground froze her to her core. She heard him walk away._ Fair enough, _she thought—and then everything went black._

Midna woke to sunlight streaming over her face. _Another weird nightmare,_ she thought, sitting up slowly and rubbing at her eyes. Her fingers were covered in mascara when she pulled them away from her eyes. She cursed and then looked at her clock—it was four. In the afternoon. She cursed again.

She groped beneath her pillow for phone and squinted in the light at the screen. Lana was asking where she was, if she was okay, if she was able to still go to the party. Hastily, Midna replied to all of her texts—she was fine, just forgot to set her alarm, she was still going, and Lana texted back, “Great! I’ll pick you up at six sharp, does that work for you?”

Midna sighed and rubbed at her eyes again. She couldn’t remember the last good night of sleep she had, and even though she clearly slept in, she was still exhausted and so sore—as if her bed were made of stone. She continued to mutter curse words as she stumbled into the shower.

The hot water helped with how stiff she felt, but not much. She decided to suck it up anyway and finish getting ready, and when she was done, she had to smile at her reflection to make sure it was her.

She didn’t look sleep deprived, or angry, or anything, she couldn’t remember the last time she hadn’t felt self-conscious about the way she looked. Her red hair was blow dried and fell on top of her collarbone, her makeup flawless. She dressed in a turquoise shirt that matched the hue of her lipstick and a black leather jacket with the collar up. In the back of her mind, she noted that Zant had gotten her the leather jacket as a birthday gift, but she thought more about how that was when she was thirteen and she found it odd she had barely grown since then.

She pulled on a pair of boots that laced around her calves and spared one last glance at the clock, the moment the numbers went to 6:00, Midna heard the doorbell chime, the tune echoing throughout Midna’s house—she rushed to answer the door.

”Did you just stand out here and wait to knock or are you magic?” She asked as she opened the door for Lana.

Lana wore her hair down with a casual blue dress covered in tiny white flowers all over the hem and a silver chain wrapped around her neck, a pair of leather ankle boots on her feet and over her outfit was the black hoodie Midna had given her so long ago, extending down to her calves somehow. She shrugged in response. “Both. You look great!”

”I know—you do too!”

She blushed. “Thanks. Should we get going?”

The drive was short and when Midna got out of the car, she thought it was so bright, she momentarily wondered if the clock was wrong and it was actually noon. Next to the front door, Cia was leaned up against the wall donning a purple lacy top and tight lace up bandage miniskirt. Like Lana, she had a gold chain around her neck, but she also had a bangle around her wrist, and a lit cigarette in her scarlet lips, white smoke wrapping around her neck like a noose.

”Since when did you start smoking?” Lana asked.

”About three months ago.” She took one last drag and then crushed it under her heel. “You aren’t wearing that, are you?”

Midna assumed Cia was insulting her, but her gaze was on Lana.

”Is...Is there something wrong with my outfit?” Lana asked.

”Oh, no, Lana, I mean the hoodie, you look great, Lana!”

”I like this hoodie.”

”But it doesn’t match your outfit.”

Lana frowned, sighed and started to take it off. “I’ll go throw it in the car.” She turned on her heel to leave.

”Not sure why you even came,” Cia snorted, rolling her eyes at Midna.

The answer rolled off her tongue. “Because I care about Lana and wasn’t about to bail on her when she needed me and wanted to hang out with me.”

The silence was deafening, Cia’s glare almost made whatever attitude Midna possessed curl up in a ball to die. “You don’t know a damn thing, Midna,” she said at last. “You’re a guest, you know. Just because Lana likes you, doesn’t mean I do—don’t let the fact that I’m willing to tolerate you for my sister’s sake get to your head, it doesn’t need to get any bigger. Watch it.”

Midna stood her ground and glared back.

”Please tell me you two are just having a staring contest and it’s not to the death,” Lana sighed, hoodieless.

Immediately, Cia jerked her head to the side, her gaze instantly and visibly softening as it landed on her twin. “No, Lana, it’s just bright out.”

She didn’t seem to buy it but just didn’t say anything. Cia stepped in front and held the door open—and probably suppressed the urge to trip Midna as she trailed behind Lana like a shadow.

”Oh. You’re early.” Ghiraham seemed to appear out of thin air, staring intently at the pair with only one visible eye the other concealed by a white curtain.

”This...was the time Cia told me...”

”This was the time I told Cia to tell you.” He flicked some hair out of his eyes. “There’s about five minutes before I expect any other guests to arrive.”

Midna glanced around what she could see of the house. The floors were hardwood and the walls were white, most of the furniture either white, black, or a deep crimson that matched Ghirahim’s jacket, and honestly, most of the walls had giant windows to the point where the walls might as well have been glass.

In the kitchen, the girl Link claimed was Ghirahim’s cousin wore a black apron and prepared food and drinks—most of which were alcoholic— as she chugged from a beer bottle. Cia was sipping red wine, leaned against a counter about a foot away from Zant, still unnervingly talll, staring at Midna.

Midna chose to ignore him.

”Are those Jell-O shots?” Lana asked.

”Yes,” said the chick Midna called Ghirahim’s cousin in her head.

”Don’t those usually contain alcohol?”

”These ones contain alcohol.”

”But we’re minors, isn’t that illegal?”

”If I get put on death row for consuming Jell-O shots, it would be worth it.”

A sliding glass door lead to the backyard, a person standing on the back porch with a camera in hand. Cia gestured to the door. “That’s her.”

”Her?” Midna asked, but no one seemed to hear her.

”Oh, um...”Lana bit her lip. “You mean...?”

”Oh, Lana, darling, if you don’t say hi to her soon, someone else will show up and they’ll steal her away from you. She doesn’t usually bite, unless you bite her first.” It was Ghirahim who spoke, who seemed pretty entertained by just how shy Lana was.

”I wasn’t planning on walking up to her and biting her—I don’t even know her name.”

”That’s why you have to introduce yourself,” Cia said. “Just go, we’ll keep Midna company.”

Lana looked at her. “Promise not to get in any fights?”

 _I’ll just finish them,_ Midna thought. “Promise.”

Relunctantly, she stepped outside. “What the hell was that?” Midna asked.

”My, you’re dense,” Ghirahim said. “Cia said your oblivious, but I didn’t think to this extent.”

”If she hasn’t figured it out yet, Lana has to tell her herself,” Cia said, eyeing Midna.

”Tell me what?”

No one answered her.

”Do you need anything to drink, red-eyed chick?” Ghirahim’s cousin asked, breaking a rather tense silence.

”Chris!” He scolded.

”What? I don’t know her name and she’s the only one with red eyes.”

”Zant’s eyes are kind of red,” Cia said.

”I wouldn’t know, he’s tall, I think anything above his collarbone is in the mesosphere. Anyway, want a beer or something?”

”Um...sure, brown eyed chick?”

”Look! She does it too!”

Ghirahim made a noise of frustration before the doorbell rang and he went to answer it. There was a brief pause before Chris handed her a bottle and said quietly, “You had no way of knowing this, but um...I’m not a chick, I’m a guy.”

”You don’t look like a guy,” Midna said, before realizing how rude that was. “I’m so sorry, I—“

”It’s fine,” Chris responded. Midna noticed that he was flat and dressed in some rather masculine clothes, even though his hair was still decently long, and his features feminine. “I’m still transitioning, I know I look like a girl.”

Midna found herself glancing at Zant—maybe some part of her was beginning to catch on, but most of her mind didn’t understand.

It took a matter of minutes for there to be enough people for Midna to feel uncomfortable. It was loud and she wondered what she was doing there, drinking beer, at a party. She didn’t even like beer, it tasted awful, why was she drinking it?

Ghirahim’s house was large enough to accommodate for the amount of people, definitely. She took another sip of beer while she looked around, trying to find someone she knew. She bumped into someone and her hand hit their leg, but she felt metal, cold and smooth, and the sound of the contact was metallic.

”Watch where you’re going, _imp._ ”

Her words lodged in her throat dur to her confusion. She barely registered who she had run into.

”Actually, no, lend me a moment of your time—I need to ask you a question about Zant.”

It finally clicked Midna was looking at Ghirahim. “What about him?”

His eyes narrowed, her gaze flickered to the diamond beneath his eye for a second. “I don’t know what your relation was, and Zant assures me that whatever it was, it’s over—I just need to make sure you’re aware of that.”

”I don’t know what our relationship was, but it wasn’t what you’re thinking.”

”I don’t like you, at all. And if you weren’t my houseguest, I’d beat you within an inch of your life and bury your living form in the backyard, or let Cia use you for her begonias.”

”So, you’re not about to murder me because I’m a guest?”

”Let’s keep this civil, I don’t want to stain my outfit, or cause a scene.”

”You’re a prick.”

”Your ex said the same about you last night.”

”Gross, he is not my ex. I will behead myself before I date him.”

He left her alone after that, giving her a serious side eye that put her on edge. Midna took another drink of her beer. _I should find Lana and tell her Ghirahim threatened to bury me alive. He was dead serious. Ha, dead serious._

She managed to find the glass sliding door and took a step outside. The sky wa barely beginning to darken, Lana was in plain sight, laughing, and talking with someone.

”Lana?”

She turned around, a smile on her lips. “Hey, Midna...you’re drinking?”

”I don’t know why, it tastes pretty awful.”

Lana’s smile brightened just a bit. “Hey, Ebony, meet my friend, Midna.”

Midna looked at whoever Lana was talking to. Ebony fit the color of her skin which was flawless, she noticed. Her hair a magenta color, her dress purple, her shoes blue, her eyes cerise—she was pretty, though, with a round face and long hair in braids, but she was oddly dressed. “Hi,” she said, warmly. “I’m Ebony.”

Midna thought she looked like the bisexual flag—then it hit her.

Ghiriham and Zant were queer, Chris was trans, Ebony bi... _Is Lana queer?_ She wondered. Everything clicked. What Cia had said earlier, why Ghiriham and Zant were being nice to Lana. Was that why Lana had been depressed? Midna knew that the closet was a sad, lonely little place to hide in, but why hadn’t she realized?

”Midna, are you okay?” Lana asked.

”Yeah...just checking on you. Nice to meet you, Ebony.”

”You too.”

Without another word, she turned on her heel and left the two alone. _I am oblivious,_ she thought.

It had been two hours, the sun was setting and Midna still felt stupid and bored. She had drank a total of two beers and decided that was enough for three years, at least.

”Link?” She found a blond boy who looked almost exactly like him but clad in purple.

”Sure,” he said. He was reading a thick novel, on a couch, he barely looked up at her.

”Vi!” Crooned a boy who also kind of looked like Link, but goth and slightly shorter. “Who’s your friend? I’m so proud of you, socializing, and I didn’t have to force you!” He sat next to the purple Link.

”She thought I was Link.”

”Don’t worry, love, you’re nine point six times cuter than him, probably.”

”Is everyone here gay?” Midna asked.

”Ha! I wish, I’d have a lot more options—“The purple Link pinched his arm.”—Ow! Oh, Vi, you know I don’t mean it! I couldn’t ask for a better boyfriend. I’m biromantic, actually, and homosexual. Vio here’s gay, though. And Ghirahim is bi, I know that.”

”Really?”

”Yeah, he likes to flirt with everyone, regardless of gender. I mean, I guess that technically makes him pan, but he identifies as bi.”

”I think he threatened to kill me.”

”Yeah, he does that too,” he said. “Like, you know the fight or flight response thing? He has like fight or flight or flirt.” He nudged the boy next to him in the ribs with his elbow. “Vio, be a part of this conversation.”

”No.”

”I brought him here to socialize—he isn’t very good at it.”

”I don’t think I am, either,” Midna admitted. “It was nice talking with you.”

”You too.”

Midna realized she knew no one here, so she tried to find Lana again. She found three other people with blue hair, Fi—who she said hi too—one of the colorful girls with five other girls—who stared at her like she was crazy—and a girl named Ruto—who seemed a bit like a snob, tanned and muscular, a swimmer she learned, but honestly, Midna thought she’d be cool to hang with.

She found herself outside, the sky had darkened more, the sun beginning to set. A lot of people had wandered outside, gathering in groups drinking from red plastic cups and talking. She saw Lana, but Ghirahim was flirting with her. She decided to wait a moment before approaching Lana.

She looked at the sky. It must have been about nine, why was the sun just beginning to set, plus fall was coming, oh, the sun would be setting at five soon. It’d be dark and cold. Oh, Midna loved fall.

”My Midna...”

She turned around. “Zant.” She was surprised how calm her voice was. She hadn’t spoken to him in what felt like forever, how was she so calm?

”I was told Ghiriham spoke to you.”

”He’s currently flirting with Lana.”

”He flirts with everyone.”

”So I’ve heard.”

”I have been meaning to speak to you about our fight.”

Anger rose from her chest and into her throat, a burning, tingling sensation. “I remember it less as a fight and more of you thinking you’re too cool for me, refusing to even acknowledge my existence. Now Ghirahim’s your best friend.” She clenched her teeth. “Does he even know?”

”Yes, he knows.” He sighed. “Midna...”

”I’ve been waiting to talk to you for so long, so damn long! But now, I don’t think I’m ready for this conversation—I feel ready to hit something.” Her breath was shaky. “Leave me alone.”

He reached for her arm, his arms tightening on her elbow. “I had it too,” he said quickly.

”Had what?”

”The dream, all those nightmares we had as kids, don’t you remember? Don’t you realize?”

”No,” she said. “I’m oblivious, remember. It took me this long to realize Lana was queer, I don’t realize anything.”

”What?” Lana said from behind her.

She turned around. “Oh, Lana...”

Her face was red. “I was looking for you—I thought you’d want to leave.”

”Yeah, we should.” She yanked her arm out of Zant’s grip.

”Thanks for inviting me, Ghirahim.”

He seemed to appear out of nowhere. “Of course, Lana. Drive safely.”

”Let’s go find Cia,” Lana said, grabbing Midna’s hand. “She should still be here, right?”


	4. Chapter 4

Midna and Lana were already moving towards the door to the house. “I haven’t really seen Cia,” Midna admitted. “But I haven’t really been searching for her.”

She missteped and crushed someone’s toes.

“Ow!”

“Hey, Vio, it’s the one chick we talked to earlier!”

“Link?” Lana frowned.

“His name is Vio,” said the goth from earlier. “I’m Shadow.”

“Oh, nice to meet you,” Lana said politely.

“You look like you’re about to leave,” said Shadow.

“We are,” Midna replied. “But we’re looking for someone, do you think you’ve seen her? She has white hair—“

“There’s Ivory Maid over there,” Shadow interrupted, pointing to a girl that had white hair, but her skin was black, her hair longer, and dressed much more modestly.

“No, she has lighter skin, um...”Now Midna was struggling to descrbe her. “Has a mark under her eye?”

“You mean Impa Laz?”

Vio elbowed him. “Let them finish.”

“She’s my twin,” Lana chimed in. “She looks like me, but shorter, white hair and olive skin?”

“And she’s wearing clothes that cover nothing,” Midna added.

“Her came’s Cia,” Lana finished.

Shadow raised an eyebrow. “I see the resemblance, but she’s your twin? I think I saw her in the kitchen with Chris, you know, Ghirahim’s brother?”

“Chris is Ghirahim’s brother?”

“I think. Anyway, hope you find your twin.”

“Thanks.”

It felt like everyone was talking at the same time and the sound grated at her nerves, she struggled to navigate through the people. A girl with an e-cigarette blew out a puff of smoke in Midna’s face and Lana coughed behind her.

She was sitting at a table, talking with Chris, like Shadow had said, she turned her head as if she really did have twin telepathy and had sensed Lana’s presence. “Lana, are you leaving?”

“Yeah, this was fun and all, but I want to go home. Do you have a ride home?”

“Yes, Lana, but...can’t you stay?”

“Is there a point?”

“To have fun? C’mon, Lana.”

“We’re leaving, see you at home!” Lana grabbed Midna’s wrist and dragged her out the door.

“Lana, are you alright?” She asked.

“Not really,” she admitted with a sigh. The sky was smeared with pink and yellow. “How long have you known?”

Midna felt her face heat up. “Two hours, maybe?”

“Goddesses...Do you want to hang out at my place?”

“Sure...I could use a sleepover.”

The drive was quiet, but it wasn’t the type of quiet Midna usually heard when she was around Lana, usually it was comfortable. It was the type of silence that was deafening, that would make all noise you heard after it became difficult to hear, and Midna found herself wanting to start a conversation, but what to say? Was she going to address the elephant in the room, or pretend she didn’t see it, standing in front of her, staring her down, it’s breath on her neck, beady eyes staring right through her?

“Lana,” Midna started, but the car had stopped and Lana was already out of her seat, slamming the car door shut. Perhaps the silence had deafened her.

She followed suit.

Lana lived in a pretty decent house in a pretty decent neighborhood. It was a one story building, fairly small, cluttered enough it was always cozy looking but never all that messy. There was a large tree in the backyard with giant branches that threw shade over the yard and the house, always very visible from the window in Lana’s room. Her bedroom was simple with a bookshelf filled with large tomes tucked in the corner and a white rug over a grey carpet, her bed in a white sheet with a blanket covered in multiple shades of blue. Cia’s room was right down the hall, probably covered in dust.

“Lana...?”

“No one’s home,” Lana declared, running a hand through her hair and sighing. “You can borrow some clothes to change into, unless you want to sleep in your dress.”

“Hell no, I love this dress.” She dusted off the skirt as if Lana’s words left it wrinkled.

Lana sighed. “I’m sorry. About snapping at you the other day and bringing up Zant. It was callous of me.”

“You aren’t callous—“

“But what I said was and I’m sorry.”

Lana sat in the edge of her bed and turned to look at her closets the door ajar, the interior dark. She just laid on her back, staring at the ceiling. “I should have some shorts and an oversized t-shirt in those drawers, in the closet.”

“Right.” This wasn’t the first time they randomly decided Midna could spend the night without any sort of forethought. Midna already knew where to find the clothes she usually wore—an oversized butter yellow t-shirt that showed Midna’s bra and a pair of black shorts that stopped mid-thigh. They were unbelievably comfortable and Lana never wore them.

Even when she was done changing and folding her dress to lay on the dresser in the closet, Lana was still laying down, eyes closed.

“Lana?”

She didn’t answer, just sat up and went into the closet, coming out in sweatpants and a faded blue tee only to collapse in bed again. Midna laid down next to her, going quiet.

“Do you feel weird?” Lana asked after minutes of silence stretched into an uncomfortable, exhausted hour. “About, like, sleeping in the same bed as me now?” She suddenly turned towards Midna, her expression blank. “Now that you know.”

Her mouth now full of words, Midna found very few escaping her lips. “I mean...I....no, I mean...kind of.” She swallowed. Everything felt wrong. “Not because you’re gay or whatever, but...because I didn’t know and...I should have, I think.”

“I kept thinking about coming out to you,” Lana admitted. “I knew you’d react just fine, but...I don’t know.”

Even if Lana didn’t, Midna did—she had been inside a dark, cramped closet between dusty old skeletons, scared of seeing light and when she had found the courage to step out, her legs had tangled in jeans and sweaters that dragged her away from the door. “Had I known you were trapped in the closet, I would have burned it down for you.”

“I’d have died.”

“Right, I would have torn the door off it’s hinges,” she said with a weak smile. “And then used it to beat up anyone who gave you any shit over it.” She bit her lip. “I totally understand, Lana, I’m sorry. I—“ Her words stopped flowing through her mouth and tried to exit via her eyes.

“What?”

“Promise not to tell anyone?” She stuck her pinkie finger out.

“Promise,” Lana said smiling.

“Me and Zant...or is it Zant and I? Ugh, we...” She groaned. “I was exaggerating, about the time we dated. It was like a month...We broke up because we were both miserable, we were not meant to be anything more than friends, back when we lived across the country in another small city. And a part of the reason he was so miserable was because um...he went by ‘she’ back then.”

“What?”

“He’s trans. And gay or something.”

“You were into girls? He was a girl? What?”

Midna shrugged. “It’s always kind of had me confused. He said I was probably bi, because I like girls, but I mean, I liked Link! I like Link! I...but I don’t know.”

“I don’t either,” Lana sighed.

“It’s funny, you know,” Midna said. “I was so glad when he moved here too. I thought I couldn’t live without him. I never thought to think about whether or not he could live without me.” It wasn’t funny, at all, but it was so sad, she didn’t know what to do but laugh.

“He’s an idiot,” Lana said.

“But I miss him. I just want things to go back to normal.”

They laid in silence for a while, but it was much more relaxing.

“Something is going on,” Lana said. “Something bad.” She yawned.

“Definitely.”

Lana rubbed at her eyes. “We should get to sleep.” She reached over and shut off the lamp. In the distance, Midna could hear a train. “Midna?”

“Yeah, Lana?”

“Do you think I’m draining?”

“What?”

“Like, to be around, emotionally?”

“Of course not.” In the darkness, she could barely make out Lana’s eyes, but they seemed to be closed. “Goddesses, Lana, I love you so much, and everyone else tends to drain me, but you’ve always made me happy. What makes you think you’re draining?”

She sighed. “Mom came home drunk and angry. We got in a fight.”

“When?”

“Last night.”

”She doesn’t know what she’s talking about, Lana.”

Her eyes opened, half-lidded and brimming with tears she hastily wiped away. “Thanks, Midna.”

”Don’t thank me, say you know.”

”Know what?”

”That everything in your life might be really shitty and everything might suck and you might be lonely, but you’re the kindest, brightest, bestest person to walk the planet and you aren’t draining.”

Lana blushed. “I know.”

”Good. If you ever forget it, I’ll make you remember it.”

She saw Lana smile. “Did you know your eyes glow in the dark?”

”No.”

”They do, it’s really cool, actually. You’re really pretty.”

”So are you...” She trailed off at the realization that Lana’s room was freezing and her body was really warm and really close. She could feel Lana’s breath on her lips, warm and soft. And now she couldn’t stop staring at Lana’s lips. Midna thought about every book she read, every movie she watched in which the main character described their love interest’s lips as soft and warm and in that one book, “cushiony.” Lana’s just looked chapped.

Everything was quiet. Midna could feel those two beers in her system, that might have been why she was so warm, why Lana looked so...alluring, her hair all messy, her eyes still half-lidded, lips parted.

”Hey,” Midna whispered, scared she’d break the spell that Lana might have placed on her. “Did...you just get the sudden urge to kiss the other person in the room or...?”

She saw Lana swallow. “Yes,” she said softly.

Midna opened her mouth to say something, but Lana leaned forward, connecting their lips. It was soft, and yes, Lana’s lips were chapped, but it didn’t matter. She felt her pulse skip—and then Lana pulled away.

Minutes passed. “That was really stupid,” Lana said, a pink tint creeping across her face.

”I...think I liked it?”

Lana smiled. “Goodnight, Midna. And with that, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Midna touched her mouth with her fingers before she did the same. Even as her mind sank into darkness, she thought about how the feeling of Lana’s kiss seemed so perfect.

 _The sky was jet black and she was running across sands in a long skirt with a long slit that showed her leg and a hooded cloak, the moon shone above. Behind her, she heard howling, and it wasn’t the wind. A chorus of,_ I’m gonna die, I’m gonna die, I’m gonna die, _rang in her head._

_Then she tripped and fell...something was following her and she couldn’t get up fast enough—she felt jaws clamp over her neck and fangs the size of knives sink into her skin. Her scream came out strangled and was barely a scream at all._

Midna didn’t scream when she woke up, but she did sit up quickly and bring her hands to her throat, checking for holes her fingers thankfully never found. She took a shuddering breath.

Yellow light crept in through the window, filtering in through the giant branches outside and falling on the edge of the bed.

Next to her, Lana groaned and stirred. “Midna?” She felt Lana shift and sit up, the bed shifting too. “Midna, are you...crying?”

Midna wiped at her eyes quickly, when had she started crying? Words sat on the tip of her tongue as she awoke, but she didn’t know what they were, and for a minute, she was so upset, like she watched everything she knew burn to the ground in front of her and hadn’t been able to do anything about it, she hadn’t ever been so upset, the only thing that came close was right after the car crash that killed her father, or the funeral where she had to say goodbye to him and her entire life. “It’s fine,” she said, wiping more. “Bad dream. Last night was just dramatic and stressful, I always get bad dreams when I’m stressed.”

”I don’t usually remember my dreams,” Lana said. “But I had a pretty good one last night.” She smiled.

”Did last night mean anything?” She asked as she calmed down.

”You mean...the kiss?”

”I mean the kiss.”

”Do you...want it to mean anything?”

”I think things like that are supposed to mean something.”

”Everything’s so weird right now,” Lana sighed. “I just...dunno, Midna. I think, maybe, we might have something, but not...now.” She twirled a strand of hair with her finger. Midna wasn’t entirely sure, but she was pretty sure that she was supposed to find Lana attractive, half-asleep, her hair messed up, a line on her cheek from her resting her face on her hand, wearing a ring Midna hadn’t noticed. She didn’t really look all that attractive, but her appearance made Midna smile. Had it always been that way? Had Midna always had those butterflies on her stomach or were they new?

”Can I ask you something?” Lana asked.

”Sure, shoot.”

”Do you always wear a black bra?”

”What?”

”You’re shirt shows your bra, and your bra is always black, do you not have a bra in any other color?”

”Do you spend a lot of time staring at my bra?”

Lana flushed. “No!”

”How long has this been on your mind?”

”It keeps me up at night.”

”My breasts keep you up at night?”

”No, but your knees do—you like, try to kill me in your sleep, I swear you sucker punched me.”

Midna laughed. “Do you only wear white bras?”

”I own one blue.”

Midna laughed again. “This is the stupidest conversation I’ve ever had with you.”

”Do you not remember the toothpicks?”

”Oh, you just had to bring that up!” Lana hit her with a pillow. Lana remembered—Midna had been complaining about someone and Lana suggested stabbing her in the eye with a toothpick, because she knew it’d hurt, because she stabbed herself in the eye once and wore an eyepatch for a long time. Midna laughed again.

”So, would offering to take you out for breakfast make this all weird and seem too much like a date or...?” Lana trailed off, cheeks dusted with pink.

”No, but I think I should get home soon, my aunt might be freaking out—I mean, she probably anticipated this, but still.”

”I can drive you home.”

”It’s fine,” Midna insisted. “I can walk. It’s fine. I’ll just get dressed and leave.”

”Are you sure?”

”Positive.” She wasn’t sure why—maybe just to mess with Lana, she leaned forward and pressed her mouth to Lana’s cheek. “I’m gonna put my clothes on from last night.”

When she exited the closet in last night’s dress, Lana was fixing her usual ponytail, clad in jeans and a white tank top, turquoise lipstick smeared on her cheek and mouth. Midna bit her tongue to keep from laughing—Lana’d notice eventually—but at the moment, all she noticed was the corners of Midna’s mouth twitching. “What?”

”Nothing. I need to go. I’ll see you Monday, right?”

”Yeah.” Lana was still blushing. “Bye, Midna.”

The moment she exited the house, a car pulled into the driveway. “Holy shit!”

Midna stopped in her tracks as three people got out of the car, Cia laughing her ass off, clutching Ghirahim for support.

”Did we catch you in the middle of your walk of shame?”

”What?!”

”You’re walking out of Lana’s house in last night’s clothes when everyone knows she’s been crushing on you since last year,” Ghirahim laughed.

”Hey, Midna—“Lana’s voice surprised Midna, along with hurried footsteps. “—You forgot your...” She trailed off as she looked at the three others—Cia, Ghirahim, and Zant all laughing some more at her appearance. Midna realized this was literally the worst timing.

”Midna, your lipstick’s all over your girlfriend’s face,” Zant snickered.

”Zant, your girlfriend’s lipstick is all over your face,” Midna fired back, crossing her arms.

Cia stopped laughing. “If you mistreat my sister after claiming her virginity, I’ll kick your ass.”

”Cia!” Lana shouted, flushing completely. “We didn’t do anything like that!”

”Really? Because Midna’s got a hickey on her neck.”

Her hand flew up, her middle and pointer finger pressing on a bruise she didn’t know she had on the side of her neck. She felt her face heat up. “It’s not a hickey.”

”I cannot believe you did Lana,” Zant said.

”Yeah, I did Lana after I did your mom, you dick,” Midna retorted, deciding she didn’t care how immature that seemed.

Behind her, Lana snorted and in front of her, Ghiriham and Cia snickered. Zant shot his boyfriend a glare.

”Lana, you have to tell me every single detail,” Cia said. “Is this a one night stand or did you get a girlfriend?”

”Oh, goddesses...”Lana sighed. “You forgot this,” she said to Midna, her house key in her palm. When Midna accepted it with a flustered “thanks,” Lana rubbed at the lipstick all over her face to no avail. _But I didn’t even kiss her hard, how...?_ Cia was still laughing.

”Well, I’m going now,” Midna decided, turning on her heel to leave. As she walked away from Cia’s frantic questions and loud laughter, she pressed her fingers to the tender spot on her neck. She remembered, in her dream, a sharp fang digging into the place right there. She sighed.

Then she thought about Lana and knew that school was going to be hell. When had she developed feelings for Lana? It was like, all of a sudden, as she laid next to the lovely, blue haired teenager, a bunch of emotions that weren’t hers fell out of the sky and into her heart, mind, and soul and it was overwhelming—and she had the sudden urge to be close to Lana, to comfort her and see her smile and feel her touch. Was it the same for Lana? What Ghirahim said rang in her ears, _“...everyone knows she’s been crushing on you since last year.”_ Why hadn’t Midna known though? She wasn’t oblivious, was she?

She was.


	5. Chapter 5

Rumors of Lana and Midna spread around the school like a wildfire, if it was the middle of summer and the forest on fire had been soaked in gasoline beforehand. It was at the point where Midna didn’t think it was just Cia, Ghirahim and Zant who had started it—and that kind of made sense. After all, Cia and Lana’s relationship was complicated, but Cia wouldn’t gossip about Lana and Midna’s relationship. Yes, she’d tease Lana, she might threaten Midna, she might laugh at them both, but she wuldn’t try to humiliate Midna if it involved Lana—and considering Midna had spotted Zant and Ghirahim in the morning as she went to her locker, she didn’t think they spread all the rumors, because if they had, Cia would have killed them both.

Not everyone had the story right—the gossip going around ranged from anything like the two were experimenting, to they had had sex, to they had hooked up with other people, to they had gotten in a fistfight. Some of the stories actually made Midna laugh with how wrong they were, (No, Lana was not in a coma, she assured several school idiots.) and some of them made her want to punch someone. She did her best to ignore them—she didn’t entirely know what had happened with Lana, and it seemed Lana didn’t either. Had they just been experimenting? Was it just a stressful night for them both and they sought some sort of comfort from each other? Was this sort of thing going to last?

She stared at the contents of her locker blankly as someone tapped on her shoulder. She turned her head to look at them wondering if it was just going to be some bitchwad she didn’t know asking about the rumors, but instead, she looked into familiar blue eyes. “Oh, hey, Zelda.”

Zelda Emmeff gave a small smile, moving some brown hair out of her face. “Hello, Midna.”

“Did you need something?” She asked. “No, wait, don’t tell me—“ She turned around, crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the wall. “—You want to know about me and Lana?”

She shrugged slightly. “Only what you’re willing to share—I don’t want to be rude.”

“I went home with her and we kissed, but that it was it—it was just a kiss. It didn’t mean anything.”

“I hope this doesn’t offend you or anything, but, are you a lesbian...?”

Midna sighed and shrugged. “I did some research. I’m gonna say I’m pan until I start to figure shit out.”

“Pansexual?”

“No, I’m a pan—like what you use to cook, I’m a dish.”

Zelda smiled again. “Someone tried to convince me Lana was a hooker.”

“Tell that someone they can kiss my ass.”

Zelda turned and cupped her hands around her mouth. “Hey! Midna says you can kiss her ass!” She turned back to Midna, expression still rather blank. “Anyway, there was something I wanted to talk to someone about, and um...you’re probably the safest person to tell this to.”

“Cool, what is it?”

She took a deep breath. “I’m a lesbian.”

“Oh.” Midna blinked.

“You know Ilia?”

Midna did not, but she did not want to admit it, so instead, she stared blankly at Zelda.

“Short brown hair? Tall? Green eyes?”

Still, Midna stared.

“Very pale? She’s in one of your classes?”

Midna continued to stare.

Zelda sighed. “Horse girl?”

“Oh, Ilia! Yeah, I know her! Kind of.”

“Yeah, well...” Zelda’s face erupted into flame. “I kind...I kind of...li....like...”

“Um?”

“I kind of like her,” she whispered, face totally red.

“Oh! Oh.”

“I just...don’t know what to do. I think I want to tell her, but I can’t...I can’t talk to her.”

“Oh, wow...that’s your type?”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know, I guess I pictured you with someone a little less quiet? I don’t know, she’s a nice girl, I think. I don’t really talk to her either.” She bit her lip. “I do know that in a while, there’s going to be a group project and we’re going to need groups of three. I might be able to talk to her then—I can find out if she’s gay.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, really.” Midna said. “And like, if she isn’t gay, I’ll seduce her anyways, and that will turn her gay. If I cough on her, she’ll catch my gayness like a cold, or...like a ball...”

“That’s not how sexuality works.”

“I know that, it was a joke! I’m allowed to make those jokes, I’m queer!”

“Why did you say gay if you’re pan?”

“I don’t know! I regret talking about this!”

“Thanks, Midna.”

“Don’t mention it, Zelda.”

Midna returned to her locker and grabbed her things. She heard footsteps behind her, replacing Zelda’s retreating ones. “Hey, Lana.”

“Guess again,” replied a male voice.

She turned around again. “Oh, Link!”

He grinned. “Hey, Midna—I wanted to talk to you, but you were talking to Zelda.”

“Oh, jeez, yeah, we were talking about...” She realized what Zelda had just told her was very private. “...school work and stuff. We are not looking forward to math—vertices are literally corners.”

He blinked. “Yeah, I don’t like math, either.”

”What did you want to talk about?”

”Nothing in particular—Cia was staring at me and it was freaking me out. Also, so was Ghirahim? And six other people?”

”I don’t know what that’s about,” Midna lied. Everyone knew what that was about—everyone found Link hot. Everyone.

”Did you figure out what the marks under everyone’s eyes are?”

”No—I think it’s a cult.”

”A cult for what?”

Midna shrugged. “Maybe they’re planning on finding a reincarnation of a goddess so they can sacrifice her to a long imprisoned monster and bring about this world’s destruction.”

”Agitha’s in this cult, and the world’s destruction would mean her bug collections destruction.”

”Maybe they’re trying to resurrect a demon king?”

”Or sacrifice people to keep the city we’re in alive in this economy.”

”This isn’t Night in the Woods, Link. Life isn’t a video game.”

He laughed—almost like he knew. “I have to get to the library to help Zelda.”

”Which one?”

”Zelda High.” Zelda High looked very similar to the two other Zelda’s, but instead, she had red hair and freckles all over her nose—and she was a lot more fun to hang out with. She joked a lot more, she seemed a lot more childish, but in a good way. She would mess around with people and do the strangest things, like walk around school only speaking in Shakespearean, or exclaiming “FEAR NOT!” whenever she entered a room. The most entertaining of the Zeldas, for sure.

For a minute, Midna considered teasing Link for his relationships with the Zeldas, but decided against it. She didn’t know why—she had to go find Lana, maybe? “Well, I guess I’ll see you later, then, Green Bean.”

”See you, Midna.”

She turned back to her locker for the final time and grabbed all her things before slamming it shut and going to her first hour. She dropped off her stuff and wandered around the hallways, repeatedly finding people with blue hair, but not Lana, and defeated, she returned back to the classroom that no one seemed to be in. Instead, Lana found her.

”Oh, fucking hell, you look horrible!” Midna shouted. She was so glad the classroom was empty, because she could see Lana wince and she didn’t seem to want much attention.

She had a black eye and her jaw was bruised, a band-aid on her cheek. Bruises were scatted all over her body—forearms, elbows, knees, thighs. “I fell down the stairs,” she said. “I was walking up the stairs to get to class and I tripped and fell. Do I really look that bad?”

”I think you should get to the nurse’s office—unless you’ve already been.”

”No, I had the band-aid on me. It’s fine, really.” Her hair was disheveled, Midna noted, and she wore it down. Had she been wearing it in a poinytail earlier or had she wore it down today?

”Hell...you look awful.”

There was a gasp from the doorway Midna realized Lana was facing and Lana groaned. “Oh, no.”

”Lana, what _happened?_ ” Cia asked, eyes widening. She was dressed in even more revealing clothing, somehow. A purple skirt that barely covered her ass and a top that Midna had to admit looked amazing on Cia, but was nothing much more than a black, lacy strip around her chest, exposing most of her breasts and stomach. She wore it with high heels, one of which had a feather for some reason, and one of her arms was covered in gold jewelry—bangles and chains and bracelets. It felt like she was realizing it for the first time, that Cia actually, genuinely cared about Lana, actually loved her sister, actually felt concerned about her well-being. Midna loathed her, but she had to admit, Cia didn’t always seem so bad—maybe the two could have been friends if they actually could stand the presence of each other.

”I’m fine, Cia, I fell down the stairs, I’m okay.”

”You look like hell!” She shouted.

”Since when do you fall?” Midna asked. “You’re like, the most graceful person in this school, you do parkour, you’re good at not falling.”

She groaned. “I ran into Ghirahim, we just bumped into each other and I fell down the stairs.”

As if on cue, he appeared at the doorway of the classroom. “Hey, Lana, are you okay, you look like you’re really in bad shape—I’m genuinely sorry, I really didn’t see you.”

”No, Ghirahim, I’m fine,” Lana said. “It was my fault. I didn’t get much sleep last night, I’m a little clumsy today.”

”You fell down two whole flights of stairs, though.”

”Wait, two?” Midna asked.

“Yeah, and you grabbed at me, you tried to help...but you really only pushed me farther.”

”Are you sure you’re okay? I know Zant was laughing like a maniac, but he wants to know if you’re okay too.”

”No, I’m okay, I’m fine, really, it looks worse than it feels.”

She must have been getting flustered with all the attention she was getting, because her face was tinted pink slightly.

”If you say so,” Ghirahim decided, disappearing again.

”Wow, Lana,” Cia started. “You got an apology from him. He never apologizes, for like, anything.”

”I always apologize, for like, everything,” Lana stated, blushing slightly. “I don’t know why he’s been so nice—he doesn’t seem to like people much.”

”I don’t know for sure, but I’m pretty sure it’s because you’re queer,” Cia shrugged. “Not sure if you’ve noticed, but people from the LGBT community have a tendency to band together.”

”Gays are like dogs,” Midna said. “They get excited to find other gays and then they travel in packs.”

Lana nodded. “Makes sense.”

There was a beat of silence. “Cia,” Midna started. “How do you not get dress coded for what you wear to school?” She gestured to her outfit. “I got in trouble because a creepy, old teacher saw my bra strap and thought it was distracting.”

”I just don’t,” Cia said.

The silence returned.

Another student entered the room and Cia left.

”How many times have you been asked about it?” Lana questioned Midna. She sat on top of her desk, facing Midna. She kept internally cringing at all the bruises on Lana’s face, but decided not to say anything else about them.

”A lot,” she admitted. She almost mentioned Zelda Emmeff and her’s conversation, but decided not to. “I was talking with Link and I thought for sure he’d ask, but he didn’t. I’m pretty glad he didn’t. You?”

”Eight. Including Ghirahim, but that was mostly flirting. He flirts a lot. He tried to have a normal conversation with me, but I barely understood because my nose was like, gushing blood—I’ve been having a rough morning.” She wiped at her eyes and winced as her fingers found a bruise. “I don’t know how I got hurt so bad. ...You know, for a minute...I like, wasn’t at school. I was like, in the middle of a desert. And Ghirahim’s skin was black, but it was definitely him, it was his voice and body shape. It was bizarre.”

”Jeez, how much sleep have you been getting?”

Lana just shrugged. “Not enough, evidently. I went for a run...jumped off a couple buildings and just did that all night. I’m regretting that.” She sighed and then gave Midna a small smile. “So much for not being ready for a relationship. Everyone at this school thinks we’re dating.”


	6. Chapter 6

“So...” Lana started. She sat laying on her stomach on her bed, Midna next to her with her legs crossed, a book in her lap, while Lana’s was right in front of her. “Homecoming’s right around the corner.”

Midna didn’t seem to understand why Lana was bringing this up. “Yeah?”

“Do you have a date for it yet?”

She shrugged. “I’m not even sure if I’m going. Maybe if someone asks me.”

“What if _I_ asked you?” She blushed.

And all of a sudden, outside, the birds in the large tree seemed to stop singing, the notes dying from their beaks. Everything got silent, everything stopped—time stopped. “What?”

“I...” Lana blushed even more furiously. “I know we aren’t actually dating, but I thought it’d be fun. We can go dress shopping together, we can get ready together and afterwards, we can like, watch a movie and you can stay the night at my house.”

“Won’t Cia think we’re sleeping together? Won’t that bug you?”

“We aren’t sleeping together, though,” Lana said, blushing even more. “I know that, you know that. I just feel like it’d be fun, don’t you?”

It was Midna’s turn to blush. ”I guess I’m not doing anything else.”

Lana grinned. “Great! This will be fun!” She leaned over and pecked Midna on the cheek, casually, before going back to her math book. “So, what did you get for 23?”

 

“Well, I’m starting to regret agreeing to go to homecoming with you,” Midna said as they walked through the mall.

“Because Cia’s with us?” Midna could literally feel Cia’s violet eyes boring holes into the back of her head. She remembered the last time the three of them want to the mall—was Cia gonna bail this time too?

“No, because everyone in our school and their mom chose to go to the same mall as us.” It was like, wherever they went, there was always a classmate to run into. Midna had already run into the Ruto girl she thought would be cool to hang out with, she had been trying on dresses with a red haired, shy girl who simply waved at Midna and didn’t speak. Ruto had been wearing purple earrings and trying on a blue dress with no sleeves and a high low skirt. Midna had complimented her taste, and Ruto said she already knew how awesome she looked and after a pretty brief conversation, they had parted ways. But it wasn’t just Ruto, she had enjoyed her interaction with Ruto—it was literally everyone and she had been trying to avoid a lot of them. Just moments ago, Midna had sworn she saw the orange hair on Zant’s head, and his black clothes, but she had miracously managed to steer her, Lana, and Cia away before Zant saw, or they saw them—because Midna had a feeling Ghiriham was with him.

“They need clothes too,” Lana said. “Don’t worry—I know it’s busy, but everything’s fine, Midna.”

She wasn’t so sure. They found their way into a brightly lit store with walls so white, Midna thought they were blinding her. She struggled to find a dress she liked and that would fit her—there was a black dress with a Queen Anne neckline that Midna had loved, but either it was meant to be tight enough to have her struggle to breathe or it wasn’t her size. There had been a turquoise dress with an illusion neckline and a skirt that fell to the floor, but it had been way too expensive, and she didn’t think she should spend a thousand dollars on a dress she’d only wear once for something as meaningless as homecoming. It was going to be fun, but not “worth a thousand dollars” fun. Lana was admiring a white dress that Midna thought looked too much like a wedding dress with it’s long sleeves trimmed in blue and a mermaid skirt. It was on a mannequin with a gold necklace and gold earrings. If Lana tried it on, Midna wasn’t sure if she could resist the urge to throw a veil over her head and place a bouquet in her arms.

“Damn, that’s a nice dress,” Cia said from behind Midna. Midna had to agree, though, as much of a wedding dress it looked like, it looked pretty nice.

”I’m trying it on,” Lana decided. “I don’t think I’m buying it, but I’m putting it on.”

She started talking to an employee who got her a dress in her size and lead her to the dressing rooms.

“You thought it looked like a wedding dress too, right?” Midna asked.

”Oh, definitely. She’ll look killer in it, though.”

”Especially in a veil and ring.”

She saw Cia’s smirk. “Already thinking of marrying my sister?”

Her entire face went red. “What?” A high picked squeak Lana probably heard as she changed, and the sound made Midna blush more furiously.

Cia threw her head back in a laugh that made her blush more. “Don’t worry, Lana already explained to me that the two of you aren’t actually dating.”

”Oh...” She blinked and swallowed, wondering how to get her face to stop being so hot. “Good.”

She smirked. “Disappointed?”

She fumbled for a response while Cia continued to laugh. This had to be the first conversation the two had had where insults weren’t thrown like knives or frisbees.

By the time Lana came out of the dressing room in her dress, Cia had stopped laughing, instead, her phone started ringing, and Midna’s face had gone from as red as her hair and eyes to a light pink dusting her cheeks. Cia didn’t answer her phone and while there was something hanging in the air that everyone seemed to sense, no one commented on it. Lana gave a weak smile. “How do I look?”

”Awesome,” Midna said, clearing her throat.

”It’s way too expensive, I’m not buying this, but when I get married, I’m going to have to come back to this store and buy this dress.”

”And we’ll buy Midna a suit!” Cia cackled, like a witch.

Midna blushed again, Lana doing the same. “Well, I’m changing.”

Cia continued to cackle for an uncomfortable amount of time, like way too long, live, five minutes longer than a normal person would have laughed. “I’m hilarious.”

”Yeah, you should become a comedian,” Midna said, her voice sarcastic.

Cia heard the sarcasm, but she didn’t seem to care. “I know.”

Her phone rang again. Midna noticed Cia bit her lip and clenched a fist, but didn’t answer it. They stood in silence for a moment, one long and awkward until Lana emerged from the dressing room again, in jeans and a crop top.

Cia opened her mouth to say something, most likely teasing, but her phone interrupted her. This time she looked at the caller ID, then hit ignore and placed it back in her purse. “So, where to next?”

Neither Lana or Midna had a chance to respond when Ghiriham appeared out of nowhere as seemed to be his nature. “Are you _deaf?_ ” He shouted. “We’ve been trying to call you! Fucking hell!”

”I have today off!”

He opened his mouth to say something else, but Cia interrupted him. “Not a word about this in front of them.”

”If you aren’t going to help us, forget about this weekend,” He snapped. “We all hate this, but we’re sucking it up anyway!” He huffed, then glanced at Lana and Midna. “Hi, Lana, Midna.”

”Hi,” Lana said.

He left without another word, but Midna didn’t see where he went, or where he came from. She didn’t quite understand why.

Lana was staring at Cia. “What was that about?”

”It’s...nothing, I promised my friends I’d help with something, and...” She sighed. “I have to go.”

”You’re kidding.”

”I’m really sorry, Lana, this won’t take long, I promise.”

”I thought you were going to stop doing this.”

”I know—I wouldn’t do this if it wasn’t important, Lana.”

She shook her head. “Okay, whatever you say.”

She bit her lip, looked at her sister and then at Midna before turning on her heel and leaving the store.

”Lana, are you okay?”

”Let’s just go to Hot Topic, Hot Topic makes everything better.”

And so, they found a Hot Topic store and bought some Pocky and sat on a bench near the store. Midna felt like she was struggling to breathe, everywhere she looked, she saw someone she knew and had to keep her had down, and pray to whoever was listening no one would talk to her.

Lana nudged her with her elbow. “Zant’s over there,” she said. “Do you want to leave?”

Midna barely heard her last sentence, too focused on something that was wrong with what she was seeing. “Ghiriham looks kind of beat up.” She hadn’t noticed it before, too startled by his sudden appearance, but he was covered in bruises and—was that a bite mark on his shoulder? As if Ghiriham could feel her eyes on him, he fixed the sleeve of his clothing—he was dressed in leather pants that clung to him like a second skin, something like what he wore to school but not really, and a white shirt just as tight with a very low cut neckline that showed his chest, and still, his diamond earring. He was having a conversation with Zant that looked very heated, and Ghiriham looked exhausted.

”Is he okay?” Lana asked, even though Midna couldn’t answer.

”Let’s move closer.”

”You mean eavesdrop?”

Midna was already moving closer, quietly. They were too distracted, she could have stood in between them, shouting about waffles and slapping them repeatedly, and they probably wouldn’t have noticed she was there.

”I cannot believe you would do something like this!”

”Please, you can’t be all that surprised, Zant. I’m barely doing anything.”

Zant shook his head. “This is different, though. I feel like you could have at least _told_ me, but—“

”I think I should be able to do what I want, I shouldn’t have to ask you for permission. This was my choice! I do it, regardless and you’ve never minded, but now that I’m being paid for it, you think it’s an issue.”

”Ghiriham, I’m your _boyfriend_! We’ve been dating for how long? And now you’re...” His next words were much quieter, Midna barely heard them. “You’re _sugar dating._ You’re okay with some old man groping and hitting you so long as you’re getting paid for it?”

”We don’t have much of a choice, Zant.”

”I thought this was your choice?”

”Would you quit being suck a dick right now?” Ghiriham snapped. “I don’t care if this job gets me thrown in a ditch in a trash bag in bloody pieces—If that’s what it takes to afford my damn hearing, then I can live with that.”

”But you _can’t_! That’s what I’m fucking worried about!”

They continued to fight until they finally decided they didn’t like fighting like that and made up and kissed.

Midna returned to Lana, unnoticed by the couple. “You won’t believe what I just heard.”

”I cannot believe you eavesdropped on them—don’t you think they deserve some privacy?”

”Please, you’re always stalking Link.” Midna rolled her eyes. “I guess Ghiriham’s sugar dating.”

Lana blinked and didn’t react for a moment. “What’s sugar dating?”

”It’s...Um, it when older people—usually guys—pay younger people—usually girls, but not in this case—to go on dates with them.”

”What?”

”Old fuckwads pay young adults to go on dates with them. It’s like prostitution, but not.”

”Is that legal?” Lana asked, the horror showing on her face.

”I think. Unless Ghiriham’s underage, in which case I think it could count as pedophilia, but even then, Ghiriham wouldn’t have much to worry about because then it’d be the adult getting in trouble.”

”N-No, I’m pretty sure Ghiriham’s eighteen. Jeez...why would he do that, isn’t he dating Zant?”

“That’s what they were fighting about—I guess he’s doing it because of something that has to do with his hearing? And Zant’s worried, because the last guy beat him up really bad.”

”That’s horrible...but, I thought him and his...sibling and or cousin or whatever were actually a bit better off? Why didn’t he just get a normal job, is he in that much need for cash?”

A lot of people in the area were actually reasonably wealthy, including Midna. Meanwhile, Lana and Cia were on food stamps with their mother, not quite eighteen, not quite able to move out. Actually, those were basically the only two people Midna knew who weren’t upper middle class to upper class. “Maybe he’s trying to get drugs? Steroids, maybe?”

”Ghiriham isn’t stupid, do you have any idea what steroids do to your body? He wouldn’t take steroids, even if he is an athlete. He wouln’t take any drug. That’s just not like him.”

”You’ve been hanging around him a lot?”

”Yeah, with them and Cia.”

”I didn’t know that.”

”Well, I didn’t think you cared too much, considering you don’t like any of them...or is that why you care? Oh, Midna, I’m sorry.” Lana blushed, clearly realizing Midna was kind of hurt. “I just thought, you know...I didn’t want you to be uncomfortable because I’m hanging out with people you don’t like. I...I knew you wouldn’t want to be there, so I never thought of inviting you.”

Midna bit her lip. She realized Lana—her best friend—was literally hanging out with all the people that hated Midna. Not just one, all of them. Cia made sense because Cia was her twin, but the entire group seemed to hate her. “Let’s just get back to shopping.”

They walked in silence that greatly disturbed Midna. Did Lana hate her, maybe? Did they talk about her behind her back?

”Goddesses, it’s those two again!”

They both stopped. It was the goth Link look alike, still holding the hand of the purple Link lookalike. “Oh, hi.”

Vio was the one who had spoken, his hand in the iron grip of Shadow who spoke up now. “We keep running into each other.”

”I guess.” Midna was in no mood to converse.

”Did you ever find your twin?” Shadow asked Lana.

She gave a weak smile. “Yeah, barely—but we’ve lost her again. I never would have guessed that there could be so many people with white hair.”

”Yeah—have you noticed that there’s like, no brunettes?”

”That’s not true, there’s Zelda Emmeff...and Ilia...and...I think that one doll chick.”

“And everyone else is either blond or ginger, or dyed their hair white, purple, or blue.” He gestured to Lana’s hair.

”Oh, goddesses, you are totally right.”

”I know. I’d love to talk to you two some more, but I think Vio will murder me if I make him wait any longer to get to Barnes and Noble.”

”You had to stop to get to Hot Topic.”

”Um, so I could buy you a gay wallet, you should really be thanking me. I don’t even know how I found that thing.” He rolled his eyes. “Anyway, bye.”

”They’re so fucking _weird,_ ,” Midna said, watching them leave.

Lana had gone strangely silent—like, bizarrely silent. That type of uncomfortable silence Midna rarely had around her friend.

”What is it?”

Lana bit her lip. “Nothing,” she lied. “Let’s just buy some dresses.”


	7. Chapter 7

“So, I haven’t talked to her all week because she has to act so damn weird! We were supposed to go to homecoming together, but of course, with how things are between us, that probably isn’t happening anymore! I wasted money on this stupid dress to go with my stupid friend to a stupid dance for fucking nothing.” Deep down, she felt slightly guilty for what she was saying. She loved the dress she had chosen, first of all—it was black and lacy and awesome, she’d look amazing in it. And Lana wasn’t stupid, Lana was going through a rough time. And Midna had been looking forward to going to homecoming with her! She still wasn’t sure what the fuck was their relationship—but she cared a lot about Lana.

Link nodded his head sympathetically. “Sounds like you’ve been having a rough couple of days.”

“Oh my goddesses, Link, it gets worse. You know Zant?”

“Right, right, weren’t you friends with each other for awhile?”

“Not for awhile, Link. _Forever._ And now I’m nothing to him. He hates me! And so does Ghiriham, his boyfriend. And Cia, and literally all their friends. But Lana’s been hanging out with them a lot, getting closer with them and...I think she’s starting to hate me too.” Her voice got a bit less angry. “I don’t understand what’s going on—and everyone in this fucking school thinks I’m a lesbian.”

“Yeah,” Link sighed. “Some...Some jerks at lunch we’re talking about you two.”

“What they say?”

“They, um...called you that really horrible term for lesbians.”

“You mean _dykes?_ They called us dykes?”

“Yeah.”

Midna made a noise of frustration and then crossed her arms. “Only one who seems to understand is Lana and you—I don’t even know how you know.”

“I um...don’t know, actually,” Link admitted. “I just feel like that’s something you should be able to talk about, I don’t want to bring it up.”

“I kissed Lana, we’re not in any sort of actual relationship though—and don’t ask me if I’m gay, ‘cause I’m not. I’m into guys too.”

“Okay.”

There was a beat of silence. “I’m sorry, I got kinda...” she flushed. “I’m rambling.”

“It’s fine, Midna.” He gave her a small smile that made her knees weak—she was so glad she wasn’t standing. “It sounds like you need a chance to ramble.”

“You have no idea.” She sighed, finally done. Their textbooks lay discarded on the floor. Midna had originally invited Link over to study, but it hadn’t really been studying. They could really have cared less about the upcoming test—homecoming was in like, two days, no one really cared too much about the test in Midna’s class because the were too busy caring about the game, the dance, or they just didn’t want to study. Most didn’t want to study. Truth was, their teacher sucked.

“You know,” she said. “I don’t know what I was thinking, thinking I could go to homecoming. Zant’d be there with Ghiriham, and with them would be everyone else who hates me and...I love Lana, but I don’t think I could torture myself like that for her, when she’s probably going to try to spend the entire night following Cia around like a puppy.”

“I think it’s kinda nice,” Link said. “Their relationship, I mean. I’d do anything for another sibling, even one that isn’t my age, but for a sibling that actually adores me?”

“Cia barely spends any time with Lana, what are you talking about?”

“What are you talking about? Cia’s always talking about her, and she’s always checking up on her. I keep seeing them talking, around school, they seem happy.”

 _Maybe that’s why Lana’s avoiding me? Because she patched things up with Cia?_ Midna sighed.

“Cia asked me,” Link said. “To go to homecoming with her.”

“You reject her?”

“Yeah.” He sighed. “So many people asked me—even two of the Zelda’s, and like...I could have accepted. I could have gone with either of those two Zelda’s, or with Ruto, or Mipha, or jeez, Fi, or Vaati, or Ilia, or Navi, or Saria, or Cia—and I would have had fun with any of them. And Cia’s nice—she’s pretty, she’s funny...but like...how could I say yes to one of them? How do you say yes? I just told them all I had plans. I couldn’t bring myself to go with just one and it was like...most of them ddn’t want to go as friends. They like, wanted to go as a date—and I’m not sure how I feel about that, because...” He sighed. “Again, Cia’s great, but I know she kind of likes me, and...what if we do end up having a date? What if we hold hands? Or kiss? It just makes me feel all weird, and I know how much Cia would like that, and I don’t think I’d like it nearly as much as her. It feels wrong.”

“She’s crazy for you,” Midna said. “Literally everyone is. I thought you never noticed.”

“Of course I noticed, I’m not stupid.”

“Well—“

Link laughed before Midna finished. “They’re all great people, but...they’re like, all tripping over themselves to talk to me, and they try and pretend that I either don’t know or that they aren’t and I just...it feels like I might be wrong. Like, I’ll bring it up and they’re going to wonder how I could be so self-absorbed to think so many people could like me.”

“You know what I just realized?” Midna said. “Our problems are literally the exact opposite. I’m scared of seeing all the people that hate me, you’re scared of all the people that like you. ...And neither of us are really going.”

“Never say never,” Link said.

“I didn’t say never.”

“What if you and Lana work things out?” He asked. “Wouldn’t you go then?”

“Things aren’t gonna work out. Least, not for awhile. Definitely not in time for homecoming.”

“Well, if you decide not to go, you can just invite me over and you can beat me at Monopoly.”

“I am good at Monopoly.”

“You made a throne out of all the money you had.”

“I’m still impressed at my own Monopoly skills.”

Link gave her a small smile. “Well, if you don’t want to go to the dance, you know where to go, I guess.”


	8. Chapter 8

Lana crossed her arms over her chest, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable and out of place, against a wall in the corner with music blasting all around her, everyone chatting with their friends or dates. She had lost sight of Cia, but that wasn’t Cia’s fault only Lana’s, she had simply lost track of her and she had a feeling she wouldn’t find her for a long time and she didn’t want to push herself through the crowds of people. She felt cornered, she felt surrounded, she felt like she had to escape—but she wanted to be here! She had looked forward to it.

“Lana, are you okay?”

She looked up and forced herself to smile. “Oh, yeah! I’m fine.”

She had no idea what the look on Zant’s face meant. He wore a deadpan, constantly, but she thought he was happy. She had just seen him with Ghiriham a moment ago, the two were dressed up for the dance. “Are you sure?”

She fought the urge to burst into tears. She did not understand when she got so emotional, or when she got so sad. She hadn’t ever been like this before, had she?

“You seem distracted,” he said. “Like, you don’t even seem completely here. It’s like your mind’s elsewhere.”

“I think it might be.”

“Where?”

“In a desert, somewhere very far away.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

“I...” He hesitated, slightly. “I heard a rumor you and Midna got in a fight. Did you break up?”

“We aren’t dating,” Lana insisted. “But...we haven’t talked since we went dress shopping. I don’t know, I was...kind of hoping I’d see her here, but she didn’t show up.”

“No, she didn’t,” Zant agreed. “If it makes you feel any better, Ghiriham ditched me.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

He shrugged—Lana realized his arms were very long and his shrug looked kind of ridiculous. “It’s Ghiriham, he does what he pleases. Still...it’d be nice to have him stay. I don’t even know where he went.”

Lana nodded. “Was...” She hesitated. “Was Midna like this...before? When she was younger?”

Zant paused. He had that look Lana knew Cia had occasionally—where their face didn’t seem to belong to them and they were wearing a mask, a poker face. Was Zant just thinking or was he hiding something? “She’s...Yeah.”

“It’s just...she’s great! But she can be so...temperamental. I love hanging out with her—she’s funny and passionate and she knows her worth and it’s like she lights up the room—but she can be...” She tried to think of an adjective.

”Bitchy?”

Lana flushed. “Just a smidge,” she said, quietly.

”Doesn’t that sound familiar,” Zant muttered.

Lana didn’t know if that was because of the fact that they used to be friends, or...”Wait, you mean...”

”Please don’t misunderstand this, Ghiriham is my everything—but he always seems to find everything else more important, and he’s always following around that one man. The one with red hair who holds himself like a god?”

”Ganondorf,” Lana said. “His hair makes him kind of hot, but he radiates evil.”

”Yeah, that’s him. And like, I understand that I’m going to have some friends Ghiriham doesn’t like and he’s gonna have some friends I don’t like, but...he treats him like a slave and he just takes it, I haven’t ever seen Ghiriham obey someone so quickly—and it’s not like he’s nice to him, not in the slightest. ...There’s something he knows, but I don’t know what.”

”Geez, that’s horrible.”

”Tell me about it. I don’t know...Ghiriham says that he was in a bad place and he helped him out of it, but it still feels like a bit much. I don’t know, maybe if I had been in his position, I would have done the same thing, but I hope not.”

”What happened to Ghiriham?” Lana asked.

There was a pause. Perhaps Zant realized he had said just a bit too much. “I’m afraid I can’t say—Cia’s orders.”

”Why does Cia not want you to tell me?”

”She doesn’t think you’ll like it.”

”But shouldn’t I be the one to decide whether I like something or not?” Lana asked. “Cia barely talks to me anymore, her protection isn’t appreciated.”

He shook his head. “Lana—when I say ‘don’t like,’ I mean this will give you nightmares, you’re too little for this.”

”We’re the same age. We literally have the same birthday, remember that History class?”

”Ugh...Believe me, Lana—her protection is her just knowing how horrible this is, if someone could tell me that I didn’t want to get involved in this, I wouldn’t be involved.”

”But would you listen to that someone?”

”...I suppose I wouldn’t.”

”So, tell me.”

”...I’m afraid I can’t, still.” He paused—he was going to say something more. “It’s something we can only say in our very tightly knit group.”

”Midna was right! You guys are in a cult!”

”It’s not exactly a cult.” He seemed to be thinking. “Lana, do you—by any chance—remember anything about a desert or sorts?”

She paused. It was almost like she knew what he was talking about. “You mean what I said a minute or two ago, about how my mind’s in one?” She knew that wasn’t what he was talking about.

Midna threw her head back in a laugh. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you swear before!” She giggled. “I always assumed if you said nay curse it’d be hell, or damn, but not that!”

Link laughed too. “It’s not my fault Peach is acting like a dick!”

After they wiped the tears from their eyes or were able to see, they unpaused the game and went back to racing. “Link, I swear, if you throw that shell.”

”First place, here I come!”

Her character of choice—Rosalina, on a bike—stopped as the shell collided with the vehicle and she laughed and screamed “No!” As Link sped past to claim first, followed by three computers before she could get moving again to reach the finish line. “You jerk!” She shouted, but she was still cackling, and Link’s face was red from his lack of breathing.

She had beaten him at Monopoly. Twice. Now he was beating the shit out of her at Mario Kart.

”Victory!” He cried.

”I liked you better when you were quiet.”

Eventually, their laughter once again died down.

”Thanks for inviting me over,” Midna said, still smiling. “I didn’t want to be at home by myself, but I wouldn’t have been able to force myself to go to homecoming.”

”Thanks for coming,” Link replied. “I enjoy hanging out with you.”

”Yeah, me too.” Everything got quiet—Midna’s mind went back to that night after the party, back at Lana’s house in her cold bedroom, side by side, the memory felt almost tangible. Her arms were covered in goosebumps as if she could feel the cold, even though Link’s house was warm. She could feel the press of the mattress on her back, feel Lana’s chapped lips, hear a train from somewhere distant, quiet but audible. She realized how close she was to Link.

”No, really, Midna,” he said. “You’re great.”

And all of a sudden, they were kissing. It wasn’t much more than a press of the lips, it was soft and so brief, for a minute, Midna wasn’t sure if it had even happened. She placed a hand on his cheek, her pulse skipped. “Link...”

”Yes, Midna?”

”Lana has a crush on you,” she said.

”I’ve noticed.”

”I-I...I can’t do this to her. She’s got it bad for you. We’re fighting, but I can’t...”

But couldn’t she? Everyone liked Link to the point where no one had a chance and now, _she_ had a chance. It wasn’t like she didn’t like Link, and sure, there was Lana, but Lana didn’t have a chance and as confused as Midna was about her feelings with Lana, Lana wasn’t kissing Link, she was. She fought the urge to kiss him again. She was stupid, but which she—Midna or Lana? Who was Midna most mad at?

”You know,” Link said, softly. “I remember when you just showed up to school one day. Every other new kid acted shy, acted scared, you walked the halls as if you had walked them a thousand times before and it was as intimidating as it was interesting. You always looked angry or annoyed, and you made sarcastic comments and you messed with everyone around you, but there was something about you that grabbed my attention, I was so glad when yoou talked to me.”

Midna felt herself smile. “I remember...Someone brought you up and I had no idea who you are and then, I started realizing everyone was bringing you up, so I went on some weird hunt to find you...”

”You just ran towards me, then doubled over panting...then straightened yourself and shouted—“

”I FOUND YOU, YOU BRUSSEL SPROUT BITCH!” The words rung in Midna’s head, she coul remember shouting that. She smiled harder.

”I just said, ‘hi.’”

”I said you were boring and left.”

They both started laughing, but it quieted soon.

”I think I should go,” Midna said, rising to her feet. Her heart was pounding—she had a crush on Link, and it was worse than she thought, but she understood now—why Lana didn’t want a relationship, why Link was scared of getting a date to homecoming. The way her heart pounded in her chest almost sickened her. It wasn’t like butterflies were in her stomach, it felt more like she was still in the process of swallowing butterflies, and that freaked her out.

”Oh, do you have a ride home?”

Link had driven her, up there was no way Midna could survive a drive of _this,_ whatever that was. “No, it’s fine, I can walk.”/p>

”Alone? At night?”

”Yeah,” she said. “It’s fine—I’ll be fine, Link.”

”Are you s—“

”Yeah,” Midna interrupted. “I-I’ll see you at school.” She rushed out the door, not bothering to wait for a response. She’d hurry home and not let hr guard down, but Link’s neighborhood and her own were nice, as were the neighborhoods in between. It wasn’t fear that made her heart pound, at least, not fear of being alone on the streets at night. Briefly, in the back of her mind, she wondered if she was gonna be the girl on the news who was found dead in an alleyway. She moved faster everytime she got a thought like that.


End file.
